@elp magazine, Issue 1, April 2015

@elp Issue 1 April 2015

MAGAZINE

A summary of the academics, activities and accomplishments at the English Language Program

Winter Camping at YMCA Camp Wanakita • A Fond Farewell to World of Words Accomplishments @elp, Louise Yang • ELP Volunteers Experience Toronto

@elp MAGAZINE

EDITOR & DESIGN Dan Pinese

STAFF CONTRIBUTORS Celina Cheng Chris Chipman Brenda Colley Erik Dean Emma DeLeeuw Jennifer Harris Shauna Herman Aakanksha John Carol Lam Jessica Lim Asumi Matsumoto, Bill Mboutsiadis Christopher Penaranda Mustafa Sarier Andrea Michaely Sriskandarajah Becky Smith

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

4 6 8

Louise Yang ELP Success Story João Carlos Mattos Preparing for Rotman WoW to Now A Little Paper that Grew

ACTIVITIES

12

Cover Photograph

by Paul Markey

CONTENTS

COVER: Winter Camp, A Canadian Experience

11 Toronto’s Art and Culture 21 The Night Hike 22 An Unforgettable Memory 24 Under the Sea 26 Volunteering 28 Volunteer Experiences 30 The Social Media Board 31 Food Talk 32 Lunar New Year @ELP

ACADEMICS

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE

34 36 38 39 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 54 55

Hello everyone,

The EP Cup Practice Your Skills The Role of Zoos Haiti’s Brain Drain An Architect’s Toronto Toronto Is the Best City to Live Social Networks Beautiful But So Real Going to a Salon in Toronto Airplane Batter Evolution Stereotypes Hope for Mothers Toronto, Memorable for Me! Civil War Surveillance Systems Candian Retail Markets

Happy Springtime!

If you’re thinking, “Something looks different around here,” you are absolutely right! Let me be the first to introduce and welcome you to the newest way to engage and connect with the English Language Program: @elp magazine.

Why ‘@elp’, you ask? Well…. so many great things happen here @elp and this is our way of sharing our stories. We have great ones to tell, from inside the class, where students learn to express themselves in English from our fabulous instructors to outside the classroom, experiencing Toronto through social activities and volunteer initiatives. In addition, past students (after they leave us) have accomplishments to celebrate. They tell us about the skills and experiences gained from being here @elp that have helped them navigate the post-secondary application process.

All these stories, and these are just a few examples, celebrate the academics, activities and accomplishments… @elp!

Judging by the content in this issue— which ranges from the ELP’s annual Winter Camping Trip, to English PLUS students vying for their chance to win the coveted EP Cup, to the experience (and stress) of getting a haircut in a new city—there is no shortage of stories to share.

Choosing a Major University

I hope that you not only enjoy the readings but plan to share your experiences @elp with us too!

The First Modern Woman

All the best,

Poems Smog in China

Sherry@elp Yuan Hunter Director, English Language Program & International Initiatives

accomplishments

Louise Yang

ELP Success Story Interview By: Emma DeLeeuw, University and College Application Support Program Assistant practice your English skills.

Q: What challenges did you experience when you first arrived in Toronto? How did you overcome these challenges?

At first I did not feel encouraged enough to speak English, initially people did not understand me because of my accent. In the classroom I was very encouraged to speak English and to learn, because even though you are making many mistakes both the teacher and your classmates are there to help you improve your English skills. For example, Terry told me that you need to let people know your ideas and opinions and you shouldn’t let the language barrier get in your way of expressing yourself.

Q: Did you volunteer during your time at the ELP? How many hours?

Yes, I volunteered twice at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation marathon and the waterfront marathon. I was responsible to make sure everyone was lined up and where they should be. It is very interesting to see the behind the scenes of large fundraising events and how fundraising is conducted in Canada. It was also very uplifting to see everyone’s motivation.

Q: Did you participate in the University and College Application Support program? How did it help you?

Yes, I participated. I had many of my documents edited before submitting them for my application. It was a very helpful service.

The following is an interview that was done with Louise Yang who recently finished studying Academic English Level 60 at the English Language Program.

Q: Why did you choose to take Academic English? What was your motivation for studying at ELP? Originally I chose to take these courses in order to meet the requirements of the Museum Studies Program, which requires a grade of an A to be accepted into the program.

Looking back, it was a welcoming beginning for my new life in Toronto. While preparing myself for the Museum Studies Program and improving my English skills I was able to meet many different people.

Q: What experiences from the English Language Program stand out to you the most?

The people and the instructors stand out the most, in particular Terry and Yaseen, because they were very helpful and knowledgeable as well as interesting and humorous. There was help available to me even after I had finished my courses. I found the courses to be loveable because of the many interactions taking place during class and the funny settings that were set up to 4

Q: What programs are you applying to and do you have prior education in this field? Have you had a response from the schools you’ve already applied to? Were you accepted?

I applied to three masters programs two at the University of Toronto (Museum Studies and East Asian Studies) and the other at Queen’s University (Cultural Studies). I was accepted to the Museum Studies program, which was my first choice. I was also accepted to the program at Queen’s University, but I have declined the offer because I have decided to enroll in the Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto.

“The people and the instructors [at the ELP] stand out the most . . . because they were very helpful and knowledgeable as well as interesting and humorous.”

Q: What advice would you give to students that are currently going through the application process?

Before applying to any program I would recommend doing as much research as you can on a prospective program. For example, meet current students, attend classes, and research the faculty; a lot of this information is on the faculty specific website. When you are completing your application, emphasize your unique qualities within your application; this will help you stand out to the admissions committee.

Q: Do you feel that the ELP has prepared you to succeed at an English speaking university/college?

It is hard to say right now, I guess we will find out next year. Even though it is tough not being a native English speaker, the classes at the English Language Program have boosted my confidence in being able to express myself and my opinions.

Q: Do you intend on staying in the country of your school after you finish your degree? Or do you intend to return home?

“I attended a number of one on one [UCAS] appointments. I found them very helpful. It was more efficient sitting down for a one on one appointment and being able to improve my own documents. Also during the one on one appointments I was able to clearly understand the requirements I needed to meet to apply to the Museum Studies program. Additionally it allowed me to understand why I needed to change specific parts of my application. Overall I found that the individual communication was very effective.”

I am not sure, but I know that I want to pursue many different career paths after graduation, so we will see.

Q: What are you going to do until you start school?

My program begins in September, I am planning to travel and do volunteer work. I would like to travel and see different regions of China. I am now also a long term volunteer for the Harbourfront Centre and I will continue to search for volunteer opportunities at the Volunteer Toronto website.

Q: What does your future hold? What are you going to do 10 years from now?

I think I will try a lot of different things before I settle down. I’ve had a dream to be a zookeeper since I was a child, but I am not sure if I am qualified since I do not have an education background in Zoology. Who knows? Maybe after my Museum Studies program I’ll pursue a Zoology education. Most likely, I will pursue careers relevant to my Museum Studies Program such as a curator career in different museums around the world.

Q: Do you have any last comments about the English Language Program?

English is a very important tool you can use to communicate, because of the different cultures present at this program you will always have something to talk about because of the different experiences and cultural backgrounds. The connections made here will allow you to know people around the world and even have potential private tour guides when travelling abroad.

One-on-one Application Support One-on-one application support is available each week on a drop-in basis.

Every Wednesday, from 10:00am 3:00pm, students can visit the main office in room 4-106 to speak with our Application Support Program Assistant.

Appointments can be made outside of these times, and can be arranged with the Program Assistant. Be sure to arrive at your appointment with prepared questions and any supporting documentation you may need.

Contact Emma: emma.deleeuw@mail.utoronto.ca

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accomplishments @elp

Q: Did you attend any academic support sessions?

Did these appointments help you?

Yes, I attended a number of one-on-one appointments. I found them very helpful. It was more efficient sitting down for a one on one appointment and being able to improve my own documents. Also during the one on one appointments I was able to clearly understand the requirements I needed to meet to apply to the Museum Studies program.

Additionally, it allowed me to understand why I needed to change specific parts of my application.

Overall, I found that the individual communication was very effective.

accomplishments

João Carlos Mattos Preparing for Rotman

Interview by: Dan Pinese, Program Administrator, Student Services

The following is an interview with João Carlos Mattos, a student in Advanced Academic Skills at the English Language Program.

Q: Can you briefly describe yourself: your goals, previous education, past work experience, and how you arrived here in Toronto at the ELP? A: I’m Brazilian and 30 years old. I never thought of learning English when I was a child but I really wanted to get to know Canada. I don’t know why.

Since I was a child, I really wanted to be here. In the year 2001, I was an exchange student in Victoria, BC for almost one year. I graduated there in grade 12. Then I went back to Brazil and went to university and got a business degree and I started working for the Brazilian government bank. I worked there for 8 years. Three years ago I started my own company in financial services in Brazil and planning to do an MBA. I found the perfect situation in merging my MBA and living in Canada again. This is why I decided to come to Canada, especially Toronto. I know that Toronto is the largest city and the commercial and financial centre of Canada. So, as I am a business man, I knew I should be in Toronto.

6

“I would say to anyone who gets accepted to a graduate program should join a course like Advanced Academic Skills because, for example, we learn how to research, use the library, how write a paper using the proper words and structure, how to present yourself. . . I would say, this class is very important for any future graduate student.”

Photograph by David Wu Q: What was you motivation in taking Advanced Academic Skills?

A: After deciding to do an MBA here at the University of Toronto, I felt I needed to have more confidence in order to increase my listing and speaking skills. I took the TOEFL test and got accepted but I was imagining being in a lecture, listening to a professor for 1 hour or 1.5 hours and trying to take notes and do tests and papers. I wasn’t satisfied with my English. This is why I decided to take AAS: to get me prepared to start my MBA in the fall.

Q: Why did you choose the University of Toronto and Rotman?

A: The University of Toronto places first in Canada in a lot of different rankings and Rotman as well. But the most important thing for me is that it is also located in downtown Toronto, just behind Bay Street where all the important banks and financial centre are. So, I thought, why would I go to another city when I could be in the heart of the Canada? The University of Toronto and Rotman are located where I want to be.

Q: What aspects of Advanced Academic Skills do you think will help you with your studies at Rotman?

A: I would say to anyone who gets accepted to a graduate program should join a course like AAS because, for example, we learn how to research, use the library, how write a paper using the proper words and structure, how to present yourself. I can say that before doing this course there were things I didn’t know about the university culture in Canada. It would have been a surprise in September if I had not done this course before. I would say, this class is very important for any future graduate student.

Q: What are your plans post graduate studies?

A: I wish I could say that definitively I would stay in Canada because I really love this country but I do have a company in Brazil. So, I would need to decide what to do with my company. Probably, after graduating, I want to stay in Canada for at least two or three years in an international field. I worked for the Brazilian government bank for eight years so I would really like to work in a bank here because Canada is one of the strongest economies in the world. Definitely, I’ll be staying here for a few years, at least. Maybe more.

My whole life, I’ve worked in finance. I had a professional career at the bank of Brazil and with my financial services company as well. I think I would like to work here in bank products: for example investments, loans, mortgages, etc. I really like the credit environment: risk analysis. I have been doing this job for more than 10 years so I think I can contribute because of my international experience.

Q: Do you have any advice for future or current students at the English Language Program?

A: Focus on the course as much as you can because there is a purpose to everything that we learn here. The teachers are prepared to answer your questions, help you, and develop your skills. I think that we, as the students, we need to get as much as possible from the opportunities in the classroom: the lessons. It’s not easy, it’s hard work. We have a lot of homework, presentations, papers, etc. We have many things to do at the same time, every week. But it’s worth it. Definitely.

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accomplishments

From WoW to Now

A Fond Farewell to World of Words By: Jennifer Harris, ELP Instructor

A

long time ago – about twenty years, in fact – a class had a great idea: let’s start a school magazine. It wasn’t so easy back then – we didn’t have computers, so we did a lot of typing (on typewriters – remember those?), cutting, pasting, photocopying and stapling.

Our first big challenge was the name. What should we call our paper? How could we come up with a name?

Great idea number two: let’s ask the students. We went around from class to class and asked for ideas, selected the top three and then put it to a vote. The winner was WOW – World of Words.

To be honest, none of us at the time dreamed that the magazine would still exist this far into the future. Over the years many people have worked on it, each contributing something new, helping WOW grow into the beautiful, colourful magazine that we are all proud of.

So twenty years later, here we are at great idea number three: how about a new, modern name that reflects WOW as it is today. No longer a handful of photocopies, our little magazine that grew is in full glossy magazine form and also in digital form on the internet.

While there will always be a special little place in my heart for WOW, I am looking forward to the upcoming issue of @elp. I know it will be great. And I can’t wait to see what it will be twenty years from now!

IN THIS ISSUE: Movie Reviews, Colombia, Travel and More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 11 February 1999

FareWel to Welfare: Native People Speak Out MARIE BOURGAULT-COTE Academic Focus R/W 5

As part of our reading and writing class, we went to the Factory Theatre to see the play FareWel, written by Winnipeg Metis author Ian Ross.

FareWel won the Governor General's Award in 1997. It depicts the poor and aimless existence of six disempowered Native People who live on a fictional First Nations reserve in Manitoba. There is

Rachel, a former prostitute, who wants somewhere she can call home. Her friend Phyllis, a Pentecostal zealot, wants money to feed her children. Then there is Melvin, a shiftless gas-sniffer, who wants someone to lend him five dollars worth of gas. Robert Traverse, a very wealthy

Special Education Issue: Exams, ESL Mistakes, and Plagiarism ?

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 12 April 1999

What kind of Student are you?

Take our quiz and find out if you’re an A+ or C- student.

A – say you have understood everything perfectly when s/he asks if everything is clear.

ADELA RAFFOUL SABA Academic R/W 5

B – ask her/him to explain it again.

1. Imagine you are in an ESL class at U of T, in a great class with a great teacher. You are studying vocabulary and idioms and you want everybody to think that you are the best student, so this means you understand everything. Suddenly the teacher, who is always running off at the mouth, explains some words, but you can’t understand what s/he is talking about. You:

A – on time; you hate procrastinating.

B – never in your life. What a silly

C – you open your dictionary after school in you house.

2. You have 2 weeks to make a big essay. You think you have all the time in the world to do it. Suddenly you are in your house the night before the due date and you haven’t started yet. You: A – do whatever you can, even if it’s the worse thing you have ever done.

B – you decide not to go to school the next day and you phone the school saying that you are sick.

C – you don’t do anything.

3. You always do your homework:

question!

C – a second before your class starts.

4.You have a test, but you (Continued on page 2)

Also: Idiomatic Italian, Caring for Elderly Parents, Living Together

In this Issue: TA Strike, Beer Drinking, Advice, Business Surveys & More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 17 February 2000

Squeegee SANDRO TAVARES DE MIRANDA Academic R/W 3B “I was driving calmly on Bloor St. at 2:00 p.m. in the summer, thinking about beer and a party with some friends. Following the law, I stopped at the signal. I watched somebody, with colorful hair, suddenly jump in front of my car. He came from the nowhere, asking me if he could clean my windshield. Before I said a word he had started his work. I was petrified for an instant; meanwhile he was squeegeeing my windshield.

Seconds after, he asked me for change”.

It’s a real “smart-psychodangerous” squeegee kid’s attack according to some Toronto citizens, who were petrified about those strange monsters, I mean, kids.

They started to clean car windshields in Toronto five years ago, just for fun. Some of them were doing that kind of work to drink some beer and to look cool, a fashion style. Today

you can make $100 per day squeegeeing car windshields.

You can see them at major intersections like Church St. and Bloor, or Spadina St. and Queen, with colored hair in a punk style and, sometimes, pulling their dogs. Things have changed and their age seems to be increasing. Adults already have started to do the same thing “Basically, the Government is dealing with the symptoms, instead the real problems”

they did. As a result, there are many more people looking for easy money. “The City” hates those people around the central streets.

Toronto is not a clean city anymore, says Mel Lastman, the popular mayor of Toronto and the creator of the Special Gold Coin as part of the Milleni-

Valentine‘s Day……..10 Yoko Ono……..14 Restaurant Reviews…….16 Book Reviews…...19 Sports…….26 Paradise…….34

In this Issue: Travel advice, Surveys, Classified Ads & More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 22 December 2000

In this Issue: Crossword, Bob Marley, Jesa, and Brave New World!

In this Issue: Recipes, Book Reviews, Debate, Pictures & More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 15 October 1999

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 16 December 1999

English? Europanto? Que basta ya!

JENNY (HYUN-JUNG YUN) Academic R/W level 4 It’s true that there are lots of languages in the world; however, it’s also true that the world is becoming smaller with the passage of time. This is why we need a common language to converse between different countries. So far English has fulfilled this role as the main common language, yet now it is starting to yield to other languages.

According to an article in The National Post by S.Edwards (5/12/1998), there is a new international language called “Europanto” that is beginning to appear in Europe. This is a linguistic creation made of several European languages. For example, "Des summer Cursos la tyrannie” and “wir say today que basta ya” show a combination of several languages like Spanish, German, and Italian.

These examples sound a little strange, but many Europeans apparently want to use this language. As a result, “Europanto” is starting to be used in some magazine columns and web-

sites.

Why is this phenomenon occurring? Is it a tendency of postmodernism? In other words, is this a cycle of division and creation? There may be several reasons, but there is something else very important. Personally, I think the

changing of language is based on the power of politics and economics. This means that the most powerful country or the wealthiest country leads a change in language. We can recognize it throughout history; for example, until the Second World War, there were several main languages like French and Spanish. At that time, these countries led the

world. But after The Second World War, the United States became a dominant country and that is why English is the dominant language in the world today. In my opinion, the language which is the most popular depends on which country is the most powerful.

Today, the balance of power in the world is changing.

“Europanto” is one result of that.

But there are other central powers in the world as well. So, besides English, several other languages like “Europanto” could be equally dominant. Personally, I believe we will see several languages in future coexisting in dominance. Why not imagine the emergence of a new language like “Asianto” that will compete with “Europanto” and English?

Theatre Review …...2 Doraemon……………..6 Teacher Interviews..8-10 Camping……….16 Extracurricular…….20 Classifieds………..24

little prince, he finds that he does not have a completely pure mind because his mind is less pure than the little prince’s. The little prince can see the elephant in the boa. In addition, he is persistent. He keeps asking questions until he can understand clearly. When he asks the narrator questions, sometimes the narrator doesn’t answer him since he is busy.

The narrator regains a completely pure mind by talking with the prince and watching his behavior. It is easier for the narrator be(Continued on page 2)

Rocky Mountains ….. 4 his first drawing (see above right) to judge if they can see the world in a different way. Most people look at the drawing and think it is a hat.

However, it is actually a boa constrictor digesting an elephant (see left). When the narrator meets the

Crossword Puzzle...7 Movie Reviews….. 8 Story ….. 12 Taipei …16

is enviable. Janet explained the pictures, and Cheryl added some detail. Whenever Cheryl hesitated, Janet encouraged her confidently, “That’s right!” They seemed to be good partners and I could imagine how connected their lives are.

Through their speech I found that there is a lot of fun, cooperation, and dignity at L’Arche. Duties and responsibilities are shared.

Some residents make breakfast, and some of them make dinner. Residents hold jobs both in the house and out in the community. Sometimes they dance at parties and they make people laugh. Their life is not different from ours; in fact, it might be better.

I have had an experience in which someone took care of me like a child because of my English.

I can do everything, but I just can’t speak English fluently. A person who has a disability can do everything. They just need help, like I did. I think this is not uncommon. If somebody needs help,

SUKYUNG HONG Academic R/W 4b

Cheryl and Janet in their home.

we can help them. And when we need help, I hope somebody can help us because nobody is perfect.

Anne of Green Gables...6 Fashion…….7 Earthquakes…12 Mating Rituals..16 Camping……….18 Classifieds………..24

In this Issue: Aliens, Werewolfs, Conspiracies & More!

In this Issue: Heroes, Memoires, Sports, Travel, Natural Disasters & More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 20 August 2000

Molson Canadians, eh?

Don’t put all Latin Americans in the same bag!

Have you seen the recent Molson beer commercial on TV? It’s interesting because it reveals what makes Canadians distinct from other people in the world, especially Americans.

In this commercial, Joe, a white Canadian who wears jeans and a checkered shirt, addresses an audience by denying many assumptions that people have about Canada. For example, people, especially Americans, often think of Canada as a cold country where everyone lives like Inuit people in the Arctic.

So Joe says “I don’t live in an igloo or eat blubber or own a dogsled”.

Also, sometimes Americans make fun of the way Canadians pronounce English. So, Joe turns this around by making fun of Americans and saying “I pronounce it ‘about’, not ‘a boot’.” He also refers to the image of Americans as global bullies by shouting, “I believe in peace -keeping, not policing”. Then he adds that Americans believe in a melting pot identity, but Canadians are more broad-minded: “I believe in diversity, not assimilation”.

Molson’s new commercial seems to be very successful because it uses irony to appeal to Canadians.

In a review in The National Post, Patrick Allossery says: “Viewers are clearly drawn in by the young

It was half an hour before the parade was scheduled to start, but the Bloor subway from Kipling to Christie was filled with kids and their parents. The kids were showing their excitement, bouncing around, talking, and singing.

Crowds had already gathered near Christie station where the parade was assembling. Fortunately, the weather was not cold. The marching bands were tuning their instruments and arranging themselves row by row. The children were eagerly waiting for the parade to start: they couldn’t wait to see Santa Claus. The parents also were enjoying the atmosphere and remembering their own childhoods when they had been waiting for their “dreams.”

Finally, Toronto’s 94th Santa Claus Parade started. Children in costumes, marching bands, and floats decorated with Disney characters slowly passed by. One thing I was disappointed about was that most of the floats featured Disney characters, such as the toys in Toy Story. They were not at all related

Graphic: Manuel Kanah

to Christmas or to Santa Claus.

However, not only children but also adults welcomed the floats enthusiastically. One family sitting on the sidewalk – parents and two kids – were each wearing a red foam Rudolph nose; the parents seemed to enjoy the parade more than their kids!

Eventually, at the end of the parade, Santa Claus’ sleigh appeared. Saying “Merry Christmas,” Santa Claus was waving his hand to children. The children smiled and shouted, “Merry Christmas, Santa!” just as if they had seen the real Santa Claus. The children might think he is the real Santa Claus who is in their dreams.

Santa Claus is a part of every child’s dreams. Therefore, November 21st was the day children

met their dreams and the parents met the memory of their childhood dreams. After the kids grow up, they will remember November 21st, 1999 as the day their dreams came true, and they will take their children to see the Santa Claus Parade in order to keep the dreams alive.

So Santa Claus will live on in our children’s imaginations.

Oliver……..2 Homestay……..8 E-banking…….10 Speaking Wildlife...22

In this Issue: Surveys, Restaurant Reviews, Sports & More!

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 21 October 2000

POTTER‐ MANIA AMPARO, JIMMY, JIN, KUNI, PABLO, SARA, SONA, YONG-HEE & YOON Comprehensive R/W 4A

ALONSO ESCUDERO FELIPE NETTO Comprehensive R/W level 5 speaker who so passionately though not stridently (that wouldn’t be Canadian) - expresses his pride of country”.

However, the commercial has provoked different reactions among Canadians and Americans.

You can read these reactions on Molson’s web site. Some Americans, for example, consider three elements in the commercial deeply insulting: “diversity versus assimilation”, “peacekeeping versus policing”, and the perception that Americans are targets of terrorists when they travel (flag on the backpack).

They express their anger on the web with phrases like “Losers! Canada sucks!”, insisting that “America is

the single greatest nation in the free world” and that “English-speaking provinces [in Canada] will be incorporated into their rightful place among the American states”. On the other hand, Canadian people say “we will not roll-over and join the (Continued on page 2)

Care & Jordan…….12 Wildlife…...14 Ottawa….16 Travel…...28 Restaurant Reviews..38 Sports…..46

Many people around the world think of Latin America as if it were one single country. Even though they know that it is formed by many different countries, they still think of Latin Americans stereotypically as one people and one culture. Well, those people are wrong. Chile and Puerto Rico may have something in common, of course, and Ecuadorians and Colombians may look alike for some at first sight, but their differences are as strong as their commonalities. So, how similar or how different are they? What do Latin Americans think of each other? Do they also have stereotypes about their own neighbours? If you want to

know the answers to these questions, keep reading. This is the story of two ESL students that met by chance in one of their classes at U of T and tried to find out what the most common misconceptions and stereotypes were between where they came from, Brazil and Mexico.

Felipe, the Brazilian Guy

Felipe Netto lives in Niteroi, a suburban bedroom community 15 miles away from downtown Rio. He lives in his parent's house and he’s doing his 4th year in Computer Science at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, one of the best universities in South America.

Besides his studies, he works six hours a day in a software company as a Software Developer. As you can see, his life is not only soccer, samba and beach. Felipe can consider himself a lucky guy because he has been studying at the best schools of Rio and has succeeded in entering the best university of the state.

Even though he’s only 21 years old, he has a good professional background. He has a good job, a lovely family and a beautiful girlfriend. In his spare time, he usually goes to the movies or to pubs and bars to chit-chat with friends. He sometimes likes to watch soccer games on television. However, he seldom goes to the beach, in spite of what everybody seems to be(Continued on page 2)

E-Business ….. 4

Have you ever thought you could be a wizard? Well, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is the amazing story about a little kid who has tremendous magical power and how he begins to realize he is the most powerful wizard in the world. Witness the fantastic adventures of Harry Potter in this suspenseful, cloak-and-dagger nov-

Some Chapter’s bookstores opened early on a holiday to sell the fourth book - Goblet of Fire - and other bookstores stayed open until 1:00 a.m.

Gay Pride ….. 20 Survey ….. 22 E-Coli ….. 24 Mexican Election ….. 28

el by J.K. Rowling. You won’t be able to stop reading!

The novel begins with a perfectly normal family who suddenly find unusual things happening around them. They see a cat reading a map, owls flying in the daylight, and strangely-dressed peo-

ple. Suddenly, a baby boy arrives mysteriously on their doorstep. It’s Harry, whose parents were killed by the evil wizard, Voldemort. Harry has a miserable life with his new family until his eleventh birthday, when a scary huge man shows up during a stormy night to reveal a big secret to him.

After that, nothing is the same again. So go with Harry to the fantastic Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learn how to play the magical game of Quidditch, and witness his amazing adventures.

As one reader says: “This book is great. It will appeal to all ages. My grandma is half way through the third one! I’m 12 and I loved all three.”

The author, J.K. Rowling, says in an interview that it took her five years to write the first book and that the idea of Harry Potter came

to her when she was on a long train journey to London, England. Today her books are published in more than 16 countries and Harry Potter is being filmed by Warner Brothers.

Even toys and video games will come out soon!

The four Potter books have become very popular, and with their popularity, two different positions have appeared among readers. On the one hand, children love the (Continued on page 2)

Freud ….. 4 3M’s success story ….. 12 Crossword Puzzle ….. 17 The Camping Weekend …18 Murder Mystery….20

In this issue: interviews, news, reviews…and blues!

In this issue: people, places…and babies!

In this issue: people, places…and antiques!

World of Words

World of Words

World of Words

Written for and by the students and staff of the International ESL Program School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto Issue 24 April 2001

Written for and by the students and staff of the International ESL Program School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto Issue 29 April 2002

Staff and students bid farewell to WOW editor

prince met the narrator whose plane had crashed in the middle of the African desert. After that, they became friends by sharing their experiences.

Since the relationship between the narrator and the little prince is important, it is helpful to be clear about their characters. The narrator intends to keep a pure mind, like a child, and he criticizes grown-ups. For instance, whenever he meets grown ups, he shows them

Santa C l a u s

L’arche KEIKO HIGASHI Comprehensive R/W 2e On October 6, we had two charming guests, Janet and Cheryl.

They live together like family with their friends at L’Arche. L’Arche is a confederation of homes where people with mental disabilities and people without mental disabilities live together. It was started by Jean Vanier in 1964 when he invited two men with a developmental disability to live with him in an old house in a French village. The community was started from there.

Since that time L’Arche has grown into an international federation of more than 100 communities in nearly 30 countries.

We listened to their talk with tea and cookies. It made us comfortable. Janet is a person who has a disability. I guess she is a little bit shy ~ like me ~ because when she saw herself in a picture, she smiled shyly. I remember when I said hello to her and she gave me a peaceful smile. Cheryl is an assistant who lives with people with disabilities. She is a frank woman who spoke fast and clearly. They showed us some pictures, and they told us about their good friends and their daily life, which

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 19 June 2000

Do you know what this is?

You don’t? We had the same problem before reading The Little Prince The Little Prince tells the story about what a little prince taught an adult through the time they spent together.

The little prince is from a small planet where he had only one friend, a rose, who was so selfish that she irritated him. Finally, he had so many problems with her that he had to leave his planet. He decided to take a trip to make new friends.

First of all, he went to several planets, but he couldn’t find a friend on any of them. Then, he came to the earth, where he met a lot of roses, a snake, a fox, and some people. One day, the little

(Continued on page 2)

Inside: Dear Wise Guy p. 18 How to Learn English p. 8

The Newspaper of the Intensive ESL Program at the School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto Issue 13 June 1999

Written for and by the students and staff of the International ESL Program School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto Issue 23 February 2001

The LiƩle Prince JUAN ASTUDILLO, JOSE ZENOZAIN, YONG MU KIM, SHINGO MARUYAMA, FUMIYO TORIUCHI, JULIA CHERNUKHA, MEGUMI IMAMURA, VLADIMIR PODGORNOV, YDANIA HERNANDEZ, XIN XIN (STELLA) PANG, & YUNA KIM Academic Preparation 4

establish self-government.

They elect Teddy, the opportunist, who believes that a reserve casino will solve the reserve's problems.

The playwright uses dark humor and stereotyping to show that the real truth about the life of Native People is not found in extremes, but proba-

In this Issue: Advertising, Toronto’s newspapers, 10 ways to stay safe in the sun!

Comprehensive R/W 4A

um Celebration in the city. (That special edition has Mel’s face on one side, isn’t it interesting?)

Toronto has had a reputation of the best quality of life by the UN for the last six years, but it has street people and squeegee kids. It is a big problem without a solution. The City has tried to solve all those human problems, but not hard enough. “Basically, the Government is dealing with the symptoms, instead of the real problems” commented social worker George Silverton, 30, who has been working with squeegee kids for more than a year. He points out, “the Government pre-

plumber, wants status in the "white" world. Teddy Sinclair, a pawnbroker, wants to be chief so he can set up a casino. And finally, there is Traverse, a heavy-drinking elder named "nigger," who wants the removal of an aching tooth. The chief and the head council are off in Las Vegas. During that time the people on the reserve face problems: welfare payments are late and the reservation cheques are useless because the council is in receivership. In the absence of their leaders, the characters try to solve their problems by attempting to

Andrea Griggs

If you’ve been around the International ESL Program for a while, you may notice that WOW looks a little different this time. We are sad to report that the editor of WOW, Andrea Griggs, has left our school to be a TESL Coordinator at the Canadian Co-op for Language and Cultural Studies here in Toronto. Andrea taught at the School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto, since 1996 in the Academic and TESL Programs. She is a great teacher, a wonderful colleague, a superb editor of WOW, and a good friend to all who know her.

Andrea will be remembered for her dedication to WOW. She stayed late many, many nights over the years, trying to make the deadline for the newspaper. Andrea is also a great sport – she was always willing to participate in school events, and she often had very, very scary Hallowe’en costumes. Most of all, we will miss Andrea’s gentle, kind and generous nature. She is helpful to students and to her fellow teachers.

Thank you, Andrea, for your years of hard work on WOW. We’ll miss you, and we’re glad you haven’t gone too far away!

News in brief

Academic Preparation – The first new four-month Academic Preparation Program finished in December, 2001 with much success. The program saw 21 students successfully pass the 600-level score. These students have now met the language requirements for entrance into the University of Toronto for degree studies.

Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard.

Summer residence – Good news! Our International ESL students will be able to stay in U Of T residence this summer, between May 16th and August 25th. Check our website for more information.

Congratulations, Lindsay Lindsay Brooks, instructor in 600 level of the Academic Preparation program, is in St. Louis at the moment receiving an award. Lindsay is being honoured by IELTS for her contribution to research in language testing in her M.A. thesis.

It’s a boy!

Maurilio’s a proud papa

We’re thrilled to announce that Maurilio and his wife Karen are the proud parents of a little boy. Like many of our morning students, this little one arrived late, keeping us all wondering, “will today be the day?”

Baby Cocca arrived in the world on Thursday, April 12, weighing a whopping 8 pounds, 10 ounces. Most of you know Maurilio, a very popular instructor here at the international ESL Program, but you probably have not met his wife Karen.

Karen emigrated from Taiwan a few years ago, and works in a financial institution.

Her mother is here helping out the happy couple.

This proud new dad will be spending less time kayaking and hiking these days, and more time with the little one We heard a rumour that he’s been getting lessons in babyholding and diaper changing from his good friend and colleague, father of two, Clayton. Although the little fellow does not yet have a name, we are sure he is going to have PERFECT English!

News in brief

New course starting in autumn Are you interested in teaching English when you go back home? Want to know why your teachers do what they do—all those challenging, interesting and sometimes downright strange activities? Curious about the “how tos” of teaching English: how to teach listening and reading; how to explain the “past perfect”; how to get students writing and talking; how to get students to do their homework!

We need your help with something.

What do you think the perfect nickname for Maurilio’s and Karen’s baby?

Tell us your thoughts – get a form from the office – and Maurilio will choose his favourites. Winners will be given a t-shirt by Maurilio at the final party.

Beginning in September 2001, we are re-introducing Language Training for EFL Teaching.

(EFL means English as a foreign language, but you probably knew that!) In the mornings, you’ll work on improving your own language skills while you learn about teaching methodology. In the afternoons, you’ll observe other classes, talk with experienced teachers, explore resources for teaching (including the internet) and even do some practice teaching. Overall, the course will be approximately 350 hours over 15 weeks.

We know you all join us in wishing Karen and Maurilio our very best wishes.

Congratulations!!!!

You’ll need to be at an advanced level to take this course, so keep working on your English over the summer!

CUCHO By

Song-Yi Kwon Our young boy cat, Cucho is a troublemaker at our home. First of all, he has a big appetite, so he always bugs me and the other students whenever we are eating anything. He especially likes tuna, and, actually, he has stolen my tuna sandwiches and one of my housemates' ones that we put in our rooms. He has sneaked into our rooms and stolen our tuna sandwiches twice.

Also, he ate too much one day, and then he soiled my housemate's bed, so she had to sleep in my room for a couple of days. Besides this, he always likes jumping up on things such as the T.V and the windowsills and playing with things.

One day he was on the windowsill in the living room and playing with plants while I was lying on the couch under the windowsill.

Suddenly, he fell from the windowsill, landed on my face and poked my chin with his sharp claw.

For this reason, I still have a scar on my chin.

Finally, last Sunday he was on the windowsill in the bathroom, knocked off one of the vases, and the vase was broken into pieces. In short, although it's true that Cucho has made a lot of trouble so far at my house, we still love him, and he is the most lovely cat at our home.

Inside this issue: Pioneer Black Creek Village, Hart House, Antique Markets, Shopping, Index on inside cover Information on what’s coming up for the summer semester events, movie reviews, photos of your friends and a Cat story.

Index on inside cover

Index on inside cover 1

Issue 30

World Of Words

Aug 2002

Hot Summer Weather = Hot Summer Fun

Inside This Issue: Toronto Parks, World Youth Day, temples, nightclubs, Games, Fashion and food.

WORLD OF WORDS

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Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Issue 57 Spring 2007

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Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

The ELP’s inaugural Volunteer event: the annual CNIB Crocus Sale. Our student volunteers, Leila Costa from Brazil and Yvonne Faust from Germany (above) and many others sold crocuses at subway stations around the city.

Special Volunteering Issue

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Issue 58 Spring 2007

Despite unrelenting mosquito and black fly attacks our ELP campers had a memorable time at YMCA Wanakita Swimming, canoeing, rock climbing and much more!

Special Volunteering Issue 2

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World of words Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Our first ever student softball team, the Eager Beavers, give us their best eager shot at Back Campus, UofT. Made up of students from all over the world, from Italy to Kazakhstan to Korea, the Eager Beavers had an outstanding season.

Issue 59 Summer 2007

Students joined our newest ELPer, Ylber, at our annual Spring BBQ on Toronto Island. There were lots of burgers, games and beautiful sunshine too!

Issue 61 September 2008

Photo Contest Issue

World of words

Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Issue 60 June 2008

Special SUMMER issue

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Paddle your way to adventure!

Photo contest winner Carla Guerreiro captured this scenic view of Toronto on a canoe outing with the school. Many other talented photographers sent in their photos as well contributing the summer photo contest (Take a look inside).

It certainly was an exciting summer!

Issue 64 Winter 2008

Yoon and our fantastic team of Cultural Assistants strike a pose at the Welcome Party in November.

Happy Holidays!

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Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Issue 65 April 2009

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Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Brave ELP students prepare to break Camp Wanakita’s tobogganing record. 17 students on 4 sleds raced down the hill and all survived!

Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much, much more.

Written for and by the students of the English Language Program, University of Toronto.

Our ELP Volunteers camped overnight at the Clairville Conservation Area for Canada’s Dirties Mud Run Race.

Check out our Volunteer Club feature inside!

Issue 66 June 2009

Winter Edition

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Yoon presents ELP’s first ever Most Valuable Eager Beaver Award to Yuki from Kwansei Gakuin University.

She received a hand crafted ELP beaver from Yoon and did her best to imitation of the furry critter. Way to go Yuki!

Issue 67 September

Summer Edition

Fall Edition

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ISSUE 68; DECEMBER 2009

World of Words Stories, opinions, features, reports, pictures and much more. Written for and by the students of the English Language Program at the University of Toronto.

Issue 70, June 2010

World of Words

“The English Language Program’s student magazine; a compilation of the spring session’s highlights, students’ opinions and other features ”

IN THIS ISSUE Hello, Goodbye:

ELP’s Geordie’s Jam & the Guitar Club

A Look at the outgoing & incoming classes of September 2009

“Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

An ELP Love Story

Focus on: Switzerland, Venezuela & Saudi Arabia

Future Projections: A Look at the Lives of a few ELP Alumni

AND: On Film: Batman’s Christopher Nolan!

& Discover the Power of Imagination

PLUS: Pumpkin Carving Contest!

world of words December 2011, issue 76

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the fall session’s highlights, students’ opinions and other features.”

academic life:

Plus: Students uncover the mysteries of Surveillance Societies, the life of CAs & Secret Scientists

world of words world of words December 2012, issue 80

April 2013, issue 81

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the fall session’s highlights, student opinions and other features.”

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the Winter session’s highlights, student opinions and other features.”

student opinion:

Volunteer Experience Program Academic Skills Students University Life

Basketball Sculpting My Life Teaching Skills Street Art Haider

Photo Contest 2013

Inside this issue...

A Love Letter for Toronto

&

looking back looking forward: Reflections on the World Press

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM 252 Bloor Street West, Suite 4-106 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V6 t: 416.978.5104 f: 416.971.2839 e: learn.english@utoronto.ca w: learn.english.utoronto.ca

Celebrates World of Words it’s 80th Issue

Photo Exhibition Magnificent Quebec!

Reflections on the Ontario Science Centre!

Do your verbs agree with your

SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES 158 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2V8 t: 416.978.2400 f: 416.978.6666 w: learn.utoronto.ca

subjects?

Find out at Grammar Corner

Sharing Life

Instructor Linda Prue Prepares for Retirement

Remembrance Day 2012

World Press Photo Gallery

Winter Camping at YMCA Wanakita

world of words

world of words

June 2013, issue 82

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the Spring session’s highlights, student opinions and other features.”

“The English Language Program’s student magazine – a compilation of the Fall session’s highlights, student opinions and other features.”

December 2014, issue 88

Toronto

The World in One City ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM 252 Bloor St. West, Suite 4-106 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1V6 t: 416.978.5104 f: 416.971.2839 e: learn.english@utoronto.ca w: learn.english.utoronto.ca SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES 158 St. George St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2V8 t: 416.978.2400 f: 416.978.6666 e: learn@utoronto.ca w: learn.utoronto.ca

Sporting Life 10K

Going the Distance for Camp Oochigeas

ELP Success Story

Featuring

Aktang Abdykerim

World Press Photo Gallery 2014 • Volunteers Are Everywhere A Visit to New York City • ELP Success Story: Ohoud AlHammad

Contribute to @elp Magazine

@elp MAGAZINE

1) Email your submission to dan.pinese@utoronto.ca 2) Attach your text submission to the email in a word document.

Attach any photographs or artwork separately.

3) Include your full name, home country, and the course you’re enrolled in.

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@elp

Photograph by David Wu

Toronto’s Art and Culture By: Mustafa Sarier, Cultural Assistant, Master’s of Applied Science Candidate, University of Toronto

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oronto is a really rich city with respect to arts and culture such as museums, art galleries and so forth.

Major museums, places worth seeing and art galleries are the Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Bata Shoe Museum, Casa Loma, St. Lawrence Market, Canadian Air and Space Museum, Ontario Science Centre, Riverdale Farm, Fort York, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Toronto Maritime Museum, Metropolitan Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre, Spadina House, Gardiner Museum and so on. I have been in Canada more than three years so far, and, to be honest, I haven’t seen all of these nice places yet. This shows how much the City of Toronto emphasizes and invests in arts and culture. The ELP visits the majority of places listed above and I will give brief descriptions about some of these places in this article.

exhibition. Also, their exhibition on the top floor changes over time. The Bata Shoe Museum is pay-what-you-can on Thursdays from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

After all, Toronto has a lot of nice museums, galleries and places worth seeing. You can always find something to do in your free time. Also, it is more fun to join ELP events and go to these places with a group of friends.

1) Royal Ontario Museum (ROM): The ROM is located near the ELP on Bloor Street West and Queens Park. The ROM consists of galleries and exhibitions about the natural and cultural world. It offers you an exploration of how the earth and its cultures have evolved, and how the changes we face today will shape the world we’ll live in tomorrow. For example, you will see galleries and exhibitions that depict dinosaurs, extinct animals, present day species, stones and minerals, furniture from different countries and historical periods. Also, the ROM is free for fulltime post-secondary students including adult ESL on Tuesdays.

2) Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO): The AGO is located near St. Patrick Subway Station. The AGO was founded in 1900 by private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto. The AGO is one of the largest art galleries in North America. It possesses more than 80,000 works in its collection, which spans from 100 A.D. to the present. There is a Canadian collection, masterpieces of European art, the Thomson Collection including a broad range of works, from European to Canadian art, ship models and decorative arts, and a comprehensive collection of contemporary art spanning from 1960 to the present.

Moreover, the AGO is free to visit on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:30pm.

3) The Bata Shoe Museum: The Bata Shoe Museum which is just near the ELP on Bloor Street West and St. George Street. As a shoe museum, this is one of the most interesting museums in Toronto. It has over a thousand shoes and related artefacts (from a collection numbering over 13,000) on exhibit in a fivefloor structure. This museum provides a collection about the style and function of footwear in its four galleries. Over 4,500 years of history and a collection of 20th-century celebrity shoes are represented in the 11

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The Canadian Experience Winter Camping at YMCA Wanakita By: Jessica Lim, Cultural Assistant, Master’s of Education Candidate, University of Toronto

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or three days and two nights, the students of the ELP were taken on a journey of a lifetime: Winter Camping at Wanakita. The students felt the struggle of Ontario’s harsh winter on the first day. Before they left, campers made sure to pack sweaters, a winter jacket, boots, mittens, snow pants, socks, socks, and more socks. By the evening the campers were covered in snow (from playing snow soccer) and pretty bruised (from falling while playing broomball), wet, and Frozen (let it go­—, let it go—). Unlucky students who underestimated our winters suffered (only a little), but the fun and excitement that came with the struggles made the pain of the cold worthwhile. Where are you going to get another chance to play soccer in heaps of powdery snow?

And where are you going to find the gear and players to play broomball? In case you were wondering, broomball is a Canadian (and also Swedish) ice game that is similar to ice hockey. The difference is that broomball players do not wear ice skates, and the sticks and ball are different from ice hockey. If you think about it, I guess the only similarity between ice hockey and broomball is that they are both played on ice and the purpose of the game is to score the ball/puck into the opponent’s net!

When night fell, students were taken over to a nice, warm fire where we told a true ghost story about a boy named Peter. It is said that Peter is still stuck under the frozen lake and visitors can hear him knocking on the ice. If you want to read the full story, you can find it online! The highlight of this evening, however, was not the cold or the interesting winter activities, or the scary stories, it was the stars that were shining down on us. The sky was so clear that I swear I could see all of the stars in the universe! And so the first evening came to an end.

The second day was much warmer (it snowed all day) and it was filled with even more Canadian activities. Students had the opportunity to go cross-country skiing, ice skating on the lake, snowshoeing, and tackle the high ropes. There were many brave souls who successfully made it to the top in the high ropes course! Students who brought their own ice skates also had the opportunity to skate on the lake—the lake that is haunted by Peter’s ghost. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I was told that a few of them heard knocking beneath them… The second day ended with another campfire. This time, instead of telling ghost stories, students made s’mores and sang songs in their languages.

The cultures represented by the ELP came together and beautifully ended the final night at Wanakita.

The last day at Wanakita was spent tobogganing and tubing. Many students have said that this was their favorite activity. I mean, how could you not enjoy sliding down a pile of snow at warp speed? It was hard to believe that three days of winter camping had already come to an end. It was not only a way to get away from school work and the stress (and excitement) that comes with learning a new language, it was also the best way to experience Canada.

ELP students live and study in the heart of Canada: 12

Toronto. Multiculturalism is one of the things Toronto is known for. As soon as you step foot at Pearson International, you will likely notice that there are people from all over the world (not only because it is an airport). The downside to being in the city is that you do not get the full Canadian experience. What does that mean? Sure, we know that Canada is known for maple syrup, maple candies, the Maple Leafs, and everything else maple, but where is the nature part of Canada? Students who participated in winter camping had the opportunity to live and breathe nature (even if it was only for three days). You will not be able to build a campfire and sing songs in all the different languages or play unique Canadian sports like broomball or go snowshoeing in the woods in downtown Toronto.

Where in Toronto are you going to be able to look up at night and see many of the stars in our universe? Where are you going to be able to spend quality time with Canadians (and the most wonderful Cultural Assistants) and learn a little something about Canada outside of the classroom? And where are you going to find multiple cultures sitting on one big yellow school bus?

The answer: Only. At. Winter Camping.

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Fun in the Snow By: Andrea Michaely Sriskandarajah, Cultural Assistant, Women, Gender & Equity Studies, University of Toronto

Snowshoeing

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nowshoeing was a first for every single ELP student that attended Camp Wanakita. While most students chose to go snowshoeing in the new, “modern” snowshoes, other students chose the traditional, wooden ones. The origin of snowshoes is believed to have stemmed from Asia. Inhabitants of the area geographically regarded today as “Asia,” are believed to have used such “shoes” to cross the Bering Strait to North America. In North America, it was indigenous peoples who created and popularized snowshoes as it served as a vital form of transportation (especially the transportation of settlements) during harsh, Canadian winters.

The use of the snowshoes served as a solution to this problem since the makeup of the snowshoe allowed for a distribution of weight across the snow – allowing them to essentially “float” on the snow, as oppose to sinking knee-deep. The effectiveness of snowshoes on deep snow was due to its makeup. The frames of the snowhoes were typically made of durable ash wood, while the lacing came from moose, caribou and deer hide. While the center was laced with a heavier babiche (lacing made from rawhide) to be able to sustain a person’s total weight, the “toe” and “tail” of the snowshoe were laced with a lighter babiche. European settlers in North America also adopted these indigenous methods of transportation as a way of coping with harsh winters. Although snowshoes were initially only developed as a means of transportation, it eventually developed into a sport. In the mid-later 1800s, many snowshoe clubs were formed in Quebec in which affluent individuals often competed at.

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here were many memorable moments at Camp Wanakita – but one moment that would definitely make it to top of the list would be ice skating on a frozen lake (how cool is that?). The surrounding lake at Camp Wanakita had frozen 5 feet deep for the winter months, allowing cars and people to travel over the lake (if you are thinking this is dangerous, we were assured by the camp counsellors that the ice will not break!). In Canada, outdoor iceskating was initially used as a form of transportation (like snowshoeing and cross-country skiing), where people used skates to travel across frozen lakes and ponds. Indigenous peoples in Canada, particularly, the Iroquois, attached shinbones of certain animals to their shoes with rawhide rope in order to skate across lakes instead of trekking through the snow on land.

Bored in the cold, harsh winters in Canada, British colonial settlers based in Canada in the middle of the 1800s, introduced ice skating races. Ice skating as a recreational activity soon became a popular and favourite Canadian winter activity.

Skating

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Cross-Country Skiing

Photograph by Paul Markey

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efore ELP students were permitted to cross-country ski by themselves, everyone was given lessons on how to find appropriately sized skis and poles to match their height, how to actually ski and glide on the snow and most importantly, how to stop!

Like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, too, has been around for thousands of years as it served as a means of transportation on the snow. The oldest skis pair are about 6000 years old and were found in Russia (Wow! These must be ancient). In Norway, a number of cave drawings have been found with paintings of skiers. Cross-country skiing was introduced to North Americans in the middle of the 19th century and soon, it became a popular sport as well. Also, it is important to note that cross-country skiing is different from downhill skiing. In downhill skiing, the entire ski boot is attached to the skis, while in cross-country skiing, only the toe of boots are attached to the skis. The purpose of downhill skis is to go down large hills or mountains (at a high speed). Crosscountry skis, on the other hand, allow you to go up, down and through different terrains —ELP students had a chance to go through a long, snowy terrain in the middle of a forest at Camp Wanakita.

Tobogganing

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LP students had a blast tobogganing multiple times down a snowy hill at Camp Wanakita. Some of the students even used their phone cameras or GOPro action cameras to catch all the action on tape to enjoy later.

Long before tobogganing was a Canadian winter activity, indigenous peoples in Canada used toboggans as a form of transportation to move supplies and sometimes, their children, across the snow. These toboggans were especially useful during hunting trips, since it allowed indigenous peoples to load a large number of supplies to the toboggan that would otherwise be difficult to carry by hand. Although it was people who mostly pulled toboggans, in some areas in Canada, particularly the north, sledge dogs often pulled these as well. After the European settlers arrived in Canada, tobogganing was soon transformed into a recreational activity. There were many tobogganing clubs formed and, soon, tobogganing became a very popular winter activity in Canada, especially among young people.

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The High Ropes By: Christopher Penaranda, Cultural Assistant, Studying Psychology, University of Toronto

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he high ropes obstacle at Camp Wanakita was one of the most memorable experiences. High rope is this activity where you climb up some tall trees while being attached to a harness and you balance yourself on a large log at the top. So naturally it was a bit scary.

Luckily that day started warm and sunny.

We were taken to the woods by our guide, Shaney, who gave us all these silly looking harnesses to protect us in case we fell. In the begining we were all a bit scared, the tree we were supposed to climb looked miles high and the fear of falling made us reluctant. Then Shaney explained to us how this activity was a team one, that we shouldn’t be afraid because two people would make sure that the slack on the rope would be tight and protecting us. This gave everyone a peace of mind, it helped us relax. After that we all climbed up on the tree and successfully finished the activity, we had fun and shared many laughs. The lesson here was that we could conquer fear by relying on our friends. These trust activities made our friendships stronger.

Photograph by Paul Markey 18

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Photograph by Paul Markey 20

The Night Hike By: Christopher Penaranda, Cultural Assistant, Studying Psychology, University of Toronto

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nother of the memorable experiences at winter camp was the night walk. It was beautiful because we had to do this walk in the dark, our guides told us to trust our senses and to trust our friends.

The terrain was not all flat and had many slopes where we could easily fall. One of my favorite moments was when we had to walk through the woods and the shadows of the trees were illuminated on the white snow by the bright moon. Due to the trees, the clearing was narrow and we all held the shoulder of the person in front of us which made me feel a sense of community. Because it was so dark we could hear the forest and trees, it was as if the trees could talk. This activity made me think about how important it was for us as people to be connected with other people to be part of a community and to appreciate the outdoors. Sometimes city life can make us forget the beauty of connection and community, but it was because of Camp Wanakita that we all felt connected and in community, and it gave us a peace of mind. A peace of mind that we all brought back to the city.

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An Unforgettable Memory By: Yin (Ashley) Qin, ICBC International Leadership Development Program

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hree days winter camping gave me an unforgettable memory. I met friends globally and had a chance to share our ideas mutually; I tried all kinds of winter activities like cross country and downhill skiing, tobogganing, snowshoes and broomball under the direction of our tour guides. The trip started in the morning, February 20th, on a yellow school bus. I saw this bus on TV several times but never got a chance to take before. Our destination was YMCA Wanakita, a well-designed place for family spending their holidays and also educating their children. Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by three nice and friendly tour guides. The beautiful views of Wanakita attracted my whole attention immediately. Snow covered all of the roofs of houses and trees. Some nests were hanging on the branches quietly. Unknown birds occasionally flew over. People’s step trace extended to somewhere off and on. Our tour guides organized us to play games in order to bring us closer.

Their abundant equipment enabled the capability of fulfilling all kinds of our desires. Before I played broomball, I needed to wear a helmet which made me look like a hockey player. And I sat on a toboggan down a hill for recreation, of which the fast speed kept me screaming. I fell several times during my way skiing down the steep slope, but the great feelings cheered me up and encouraged me to continue.

In addition, the camp provided us delicious food as our meals. When I think of the fried fishes, the fresh salad, the cookie dessert, I can’t stop my mouth water. They also offered us opportunities to do our handmade artwork. I drew a picture on a wood piece, and made myself a bracelet via string.

It is hard to describe how joyful it was.

“The beautiful views of Wanakita attracted my whole attention immediately. Snow covered all of the roofs of houses and trees. Some nests were hanging on the branches quietly.

Unknown birds occasionally flew over. People’s step trace extended to somewhere off and on.”

Photograph by Paul Markey 22

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Under the Sea

By: Aakanksha John, Cultural Assistant, Studying Equity Studies, Philosophy and Diaspora & Transnational Studies, University of Toronto

S

ixteen-thousand aquatic animals and then, there was us: two Cultural Assistants (CAs) and a few of excited students standing awestruck under 2.5 million litres of water in the tunnel of the Dangerous Lagoon.

ELP’s first trip to Ripley’s Aquarium was certainly a special experience for both students and CAs. From the moment we entered, the staff were positive, helpful and very friendly. Not only did we spend time visiting the aquarium’s wonderful attractions, we also arrived just in time for Jazz Night at Ripley’s!

As we walked through Canadian Waters, Rainbow Reef and the Dangerous Lagoon, we were amazed at the attention to detail shown in the design of the aquarium. The beauty of marine life certainly helped make it a refreshing experience and it was so wonderful to see how aquatically diverse our planet really is! We saw seahorses that could fit in your hand and giant groupers that made tanks look like doll houses.

Lovely jazz music serenaded us as we went through the Rainbow Reef and saw the vibrant colours of all the different fish and plant life. One of my favourite spots in the Aquarium is actually situated in the viewing area of the Pacific Kelp exhibit. This very very tall species of seaweed grows 60 cm each day. But you could hardly tell how rapidly that happens when you’re lost in watching their peaceful motions, swaying back and forth in the water, tickling fish as they swim by.

Finally we made it down to the area where Friday Night Jazz was happening! Shout out to Stacey Renee and her amazing band who entertained us for 4 hours; churning out classic after classic! A student sensing it was the right time (Frank Sinatra was playing I think), asked his wife for a dance.

It was the sweetest thing ever! Also, about two sets in, I realized I knew the drummer— his mom was one of the choir masters at my home church in Newmarket. One of our students, a talented drummer as well, was eager to meet him and my fellow Newmarket-ian (just go with it) indulged us for a short while before he had to get back to some serious jamming!

At this point, we were all enjoying the 24 music, laughing, joking and having great conversation with each other. We were

standing at a table right beside the horseshoe crab exhibit as well! Just then, a student pulls out her purse to put her metropass away. I have no idea how this next thing happened, but her metropass slipped out of her hand and flew in right next to this massive crab. With Andrea having stepped aside to charge her phone, it was up to me to save the metropass and the student’s investment of over a $140. Let me just say now, that all this while I strayed far away from touching what I found to be one of the most passive aggressive creatures I saw so far. Still, finding the courage, I told myself I wouldn’t be a very good CA if I chickened out over a crab 1/20th my size. So I reached out, grabbed it and gave it back to the student. The whole ordeal lasted a terrifying amount of 10 VERY LONG seconds.

Andrea and I were thrilled to take the students through every carefully planned gallery. In total, Ripley’s Aquarium has nine special galleries out of which three exhibits are touch-based and interactive.

And we went through every single one!

Sure, by the end we wished we had fins but coupled with the magic of Jazz Night with sharks, manta rays, and horseshoe crabs for company…we’d do it all over again!

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Photograph by David Wu

activities

Volunteering

ELP students at the weekly volunteering meeting.

By: Erik Dean, Cultural Assistant, Studying Ecology and Evolution, University of Toronto

T

here are a lot of extracurricular activities here at the ELP: you can learn to play guitar, try new food from different cultures across the world, play sports outdoors, watch sports indoors, and more and more. We could easily put up a few articles about all the fun things there are to do at the ELP, but I’m going to discuss the one thing I’ve done the most out of them all, the most popular activity at the ELP, volunteering.

With activities happening every week, different ones happening throughout the year, and new ones coming up often, volunteering offers quite a range of options. There are events at different times of the day, so whether you’re a morning person or not, you can find something which suits you. Additionally, some events are more challenging and others more relaxed, so you can also find something which suits your English level as well. This variety makes it so that there should be something for everyone, so please, if you’ve been thinking about it, do come out to our weekly meeting and give volunteering a try!

There are a few different attractions to volunteering, perhaps the first one to address would be the opportunity for practise it offers. Many native speakers come out to volunteer, especially high school students, since they’re required to complete 40 hours of volunteer service to graduate in Ontario.

This makes for a good occasion to practice speaking and conversational English with other volunteers, not to mention that for some activities, there will also be the opportunity to speak to the attending public. Of course, another attraction to volunteering is that it’s fun. I’ve seen a lot interesting festivals, marathons, fundraisers, and more, which I don’t think I would have been able to see if I wasn’t out volunteering!

Certainly, another attraction is the experience you gain from volunteering, which we can provide you documentation for. If you volunteer just once with ELP, you can get a reference letter which certifies your time spent volunteering, detailing where, for whom, and when it happened. However, if you 26

volunteer 20 hours or more, you are eligible for the ELP volunteer certificate!

Wintertime in Toronto, as I’m sure you are already aware, can make the idea of doing things outdoors a bit unappealing. To balance this lack of activity out, Toronto puts nearly an entire year’s worth of festivals into the spring and summer months. What this means for us volunteers is that there are many different and new opportunities coming up! Of course, we’ll still have some of the regular favourites from throughout the year, but let’s take a look at a few of the upcoming opportunities together.

FoodShare Toronto This is an organization we’ve been helping out weekly for some time now, and definitely one of my favourite opportunities. FoodShare Toronto is Canada’s largest food security organization, meaning that their goal is to make good, healthy food available and accessible to all people. They are a non-profit organization and, in a sense, you could think of them as an alternative to a grocery store.

Most often when we help out at FoodShare, we are organizing fruit and vegetables for delivery to community events, which is a great way to practise vocabulary.

Right To Play 50/50 The longest running volunteer event at the ELP is likely the most popular as well, which is selling raffle tickets at major league sports games to raise money for charity, Right to Play. When people buy 50/50 tickets, half of all the money spent goes into a prize, and the other half goes to charity. The charity the ELP has been supporting for years at 50/50 events has been Right To Play, a global organization which aims to educate and empower young people with the opportunity to play sports and games. This event is the most demanding volunteer opportunity at the ELP, requiring higher levels of English and responsibility, but it has been an absolute favourite among those who have risen to the challenge!

Open Streets TO A brand new event only having started last summer, and something fun to look forward to in the coming months, Open Streets TO is an event that closes portions of major roads to vehicular traffic, allowing all people to walk and play in the streets freely. It’s amazing to see what Bloor Street. and Yonge Street. are like without cars, and instead, full of people using them like parks!

Our roles at Open Streets TO have been to help maintain the boundaries of the closed roads, and also to make sure visitors safely crossed roads that led back into areas with traffic.

The Toronto Fringe First starting in 1989, The Toronto Fringe is a festival that showcases theatre and other art that is underrepresented, and often, independent. This allows for many new artists to put on their first productions, or for experienced artists to try out something new and different. Volunteering there gives us opportunities to see some of this art, meet some of the artists, and interact with visitors in an energetic environment.

Typically, our role as volunteers has been to help provide information and survey visitors about their experience.

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activities

Volunteer Experiences

Asian New Year Festival at Dovercourt Elementary Public School

By: Bill Mboutsiadis, Instructor Advanced Academic Skills On February 25th, seven ELP students volunteered at Dovercourt Elementary Public School’s second annual Asian New Year Festival. My two sons, John and Alexander, attend Senior and Junior kindergarten at Dovercourt and were happy to see my students.

Also, Maria from Colombia and Mariana from Mexico both volunteered again the next day for the whole morning and afternoon at the school’s all day Winter Alternatives event. They worked with the kindergarten teachers and parent volunteers with crafts and music activities. I would personally like to thank the following students, along with Chris and Erik from the office, for the great event that the children all loved.

Maria Ortiz, Federico Merendi, Ryo Yoneyama, Nanoka Ikegami, Mariana Cortes, Daichi Ishikawa, Jianlei Zhang Below are the thoughts of two of the volunteers.

Federico Merendi of Italy, Advanced Academic Skills

O

n February 25th Bill Mboutsiadis, my English instructor, asked me if I would like to join him and some ELP students for a volunteering afternoon. I accepted because I knew that the day sounded nice.

In fact, we were going to a school near Dufferin station where they were celebrating the Asian New Year 28

according to the lunar calendar.

We walked from Ossington station to the school and when we were nearby I immediately thought: “This is the typical north American school from what I’ve seen in many movies”. My expectations were right. As we entered, we were in the middle of a long hallway where on the both sides were classrooms. We went to the principal’s office to leave our backpacks and to register in order to have our guest passes. While we were waiting to go to the gym, where the celebration was taking place, I noticed a funny thing in the hallway there were placed shoes and coats in order of size: from tiny shoes to larger ones.

I was surprised when we arrived in the gym. The gym seemed to me to be a multipurpose room as opposed to simply a place for sports in a typical gym. There were tables and food set up. On the right side of the room there were tables and benches, while on the left side was placed a rich Chinese cuisine buffet. After the staff assigned us our roles, we had some food. The Chinese zodiacal signs arose my curiosity; I learned that my sign is the monkey and that every 12 years a certain sign repeats again.

People started to arrive after the classes ended and the quiet gym turned into a noisy confused room. I liked the definition that Bill gave us: “this is an organized chaos event”. Children and their parents took their food and sat on the benches to eat it; while they were finishing their meals, a drum and a Chinese gong started to be played by two men. The rhythm was catchy and two dragons came into the room, dancing

to the pace of the percussions. The choreography was amazing and every child was mesmerized especially when the dragons started eating some lettuce that a man was dangling at them with a pole. As soon as the dragon dance was finished, we volunteers started to demonstrate and make some arts and crafts together with the children and their parents. These activities included making some Chinese writing characters, Chinese zodiac signs and Chinese lanterns. Maria, Nanoka and I helped the children build the lanterns, necklaces and bracelets.

It was interesting how children were enjoying these activities. I was also fascinated by this event because I had never experienced it before. Around 6 pm, the crowd started to diminish and we started to tidy up the gym with the organizers. At 6.45 pm we left school and we talked about our impressions on the enjoyable afternoon we had spent.

This experience for me was interesting because when I attended the primary school in Italy there were not multicultural initiatives. In fact, in the late 90’s and early 00’s Italy was not a multicultural country especially in the countryside. Nevertheless, usually before the Christmas holiday, at elementary school, workshops were organized (I don’t know how to define them; instead of doing the normal activities we did these things) on the different cultures of the world. I remember that we learned that the Chinese calendar is different because it is lunar based instead of solar based. Plus, we learned that they have different zodiac signs. However, reading or being told about it is not the same thing to see, ear, touch and feel it. I think also that feelings of Asian people towards celebrating New Year are stronger and more genuine than the one I am used too. In fact, it is a cultural celebration that involves secular traditions. In contrast, our New Year celebration is modern without a strong traditional background. Therefore, I think that more people should experience this annual event just to scent an ancient enjoyable tradition.

­ aria Ortiz of Colombia, M Advanced Academic Skills During the last week of February 2015, I had the opportunity to volunteer in the Dovercourt Public School helping them during the celebration of the Chinese New Year and the during their Winter Alternatives activities the next day. Some people say that it is necessary to volunteer because there is someone who needs help, but what if volunteering is not only for helping someone? I’m not ignoring the fact that volunteering does help others, but it also nurtures you the volunteer. I had volunteered many different times in Toronto and in Bogota, my hometown in Colombia, and it is a joyful experience.

For me volunteering enriches your way of seeing the world. In February I went with some students to volunteer at the Dovercourt Public School’s Chinese New Year Celebration. It was an interesting experience. It was the first time I volunteered in a Public School in Toronto.

What first captured my attention were the kids playing outside in the snow during a cold day.

This surprised me because where I am from it is not common to see snow and it is less common to imagine someone playing outside when the temperature is under zero. Dovercourt Public School from the outside looks like a very traditional school, but as I got involved in the activities I found out how Dovercourt differs from many other public schools in Toronto. The Chinese New Year Celebration took place in the gym. It was kind of a small gym when compared to what you see in the movies but besides the size it was interesting way who it transforms into a multifunctional place for a festival. I was in charge of the crafts station and I was able to interact with kids and to learn from them. Volunteering is a great experience that enriches your personal values and your way of observing the world. When you volunteer you are not only helping others but you are also learning to change yourself in a better way.

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activities

The Social Media Board By: Aakanksha John, Cultural Assistant, Equity Studies, Philosophy and Diaspora & Transnational Studies, University of Toronto

H

ere’s a riddle: where can you find a Facebook post attached to an actual wall?

If you haven’t come across it already, let me proudly introduce you to the ELP’s Social Media Board! The board displays the ELP’s achievements weekly. It was created so current and prospective ELP students could have a good idea of what ELP’s online presence looks like. It is up to date with all the latest Facebook and Instagram trends. It helps connect us to you and you to us, with one simple step: #uoftelp.

All you have to do is tag #uoftelp in any of the photos or videos you take as you document your Canadian journey!

Interact with us, share your stories. We want to know how much you like what we do at the ELP, as well as your suggestions/ideas/comments for improvement and new events! At the ELP, we make lifelong friends from coast to coast.

Visit the Social Media Board and you’ll be able to find new ways to make more friends and have fantastic experiences.

Type in #uoftelp on any social media platform to connect.

For you’re only ever a click away!

After a long morning of packaging groceries, our#UofTELP #volunteers pose for a quick picture!#FoodShare

Our #UofTELP students learned a few things about Canadian politics at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Do you want to build a snowman? Our #UofTELPalready did! #UofT #winter #Toronto

Welcoming a few of our new #UofTELP students to our beautiful campus! #campustour

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#Jazz night at an aquarium? Yes, please! @ ripleysaquaca #UofT #UofTELP #exploreTO #Ripleysaquarium #Toronto

Food Talk

Break the Feast!

By: Asumi Matsumoto, Cultural Assistant, Studying Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto

F

ood is such an integral part of Toronto culture.

According to the speaker at my Public Health Nutrition class last year, there are more restaurants in Toronto than the province of British Columbia!

Personally, I enjoy indulging in all the different types food Toronto has to offer, however, I sometimes go overboard and stuff myself until I feel like exploding.

Here are my tips in getting back on track after feasting (based on personal experience and my study in Nutritional Sciences): Starting eating again when you are actually hungry From a physiological perspective, humans eat to maintain the nutrient levels in the body. Your stomach growling is a physiological signal, where your body is shouting, “Give me food!” In the case of overeating, your body has enough source of energy to get you through without eating for a longer period of time than usual. Your body needs time to use up that energy you absorbed from your feast last night. So don’t start eating because it’s noon and you’re “supposed” to be eating lunch; only start eating again when you are truly hungry.

Ditch the refined sugar and processed foods- go for natural, nutrient-dense foods From my own experience, when I indulge, I don’t care about nutrition; I eat what I want, regardless of how poor my choices could be. But you can offset your high energy/fat, nutrient-lacking feast by treating your body to what it’s craving- sources of vitamins, minerals that are required for breaking down that delicious meal. The last thing you need right now is spiking up your blood sugar level by consuming refined sugar and processed foods. It’s never too late, but start now.

Sip on green tea throughout the day From my experience green tea is the ultimate “detox” drink (I put a quotation mark around, because I am not a huge fan of fad diets). Green tea can boost your metabolism, helping your body to burn off that extra fat and energy from last night’s feast. It also helps with getting rid of that puffy feeling from fluid retention, which typically happens from overconsumption of sodium (salt) and carbohydrates.

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activities

Lunar New Year

ICBC Helps the ELP Ring in the New Year By: Celina Cheng, Program Administrator, Special Groups

L

unar New Year is the biggest and most important national festival in China, Singapore and many other Asian countries. To create a festive atmosphere for those students who are away from home and engage students in different cultures, the English Language Program (ELP) celebrated Lunar New Year with traditional Chinese activities and decorations, along with music and food.

According to the Lunar calendar, the year of Ram starts from Feb. 19, 2015. On that day, the lobby of ELP was decorated with festive decorations: the Chinese character “福 (Fu)”, symbolizes luck, happiness and good fortune; couplets, two rhythemed lines of poetry which conveys the best wishes for the New Year, hot pepper (symbolizes flourishing), and fish (symbolizes surplus, as the word for “fish” and the word for “surplus” are homophonous in Chinese), etc. The amazing part was that some students were wearing traditional Chinese clothes, such as chi-pao!

Food is always a highlight of the celebration. The variety of dumplings, egg tarts, spring rolls, sunflower seeds, and other traditional Chinese food were very welcome and attracted lots of students in the queue for them. Another highlight was the Chinese paper-cut activity. Some Chinese students were showing others the cutting skills, and look at their work! That’s amazing! Some students also wrote down their best wishes for the new year and made their “wish wall” plus “paper-cuts” Also, the lantern riddles, which is usually a traditional activity on the 15th of the Lunar New Year (known as Lantern Festival), were very popular. The riddles activated heated discussion and we have got right answers!! The answers to the riddles are posted on the following page, to check if you got them right!

“I have experienced such a great festive feeling for the Lunar New Year,” some students said. We also received emails from students saying that they really appreciated the special celebration in ELP, which will be their memory forever in life. Hope all the students and teachers and staff embrace a prosperous and fruitful Year of the Ram! 32

KEY TO THE LANTERN RIDDLES:

No. 1: We see it once in a year, twice in a week, and never in a day. What is it? – The letter “E” No. 2: Mr. Blue lives in the blue house, Mr. Pink lives in the pink house, and Mr. Brown lives in the brown house. Who lives in the white house?

The president No. 3: How do you make the number one disappear?

Add the letter G and it’s “GONE” No. 4: What goes up but never comes down?

Age No. 5: How do we know the ocean is friendly?

It waves No. 6: You walk into a room with a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?

The match No. 7: What has hands but can not clap?

A clock No. 8: How can a pants pocket be empty and still have something in it?

Hole No. 9: What’s full of holes but still holds water?

A sponge No. 10: What building has the most stories?

Library No. 11: Which is faster, hot or cold?

Hot’s faster because you can catch a cold No. 12: Why is an empty purse always the same?

There is no change in it No. 13: What kind of dog doesn’t bite or bark?

Hot dog No. 14: What is the smallest room in the world? Mushroom No. 15: It has a head, but no neck. It has a body, but no warmth. No feet, but can travel?

A car No. 16: If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it?

A secret No. 17: What is at the end of a rainbow?

The letter W! No. 18: If a blue house is made out of blue bricks, a yellow house is made out of yellow bricks and a pink house is made out of pink bricks, what is a green house made of?

Glass No. 19: They come out at night without being called, and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they?

Stars!

No. 20: Can you name the two days starting with T besides Tuesday and Thursday?

Today and Tomorrow 33

academics

The EP Cup By: Brenda Colley, Program Administrator, Academic Support The EP Cup challenges the English PLUS students in a fun and interactive way at the end of the term.

In a series of challenges, students use a number of language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) that were taught and developed over their term. Since the focus of English PLUS is communication skills, this event also gives students an opportunity to interact with other classes as well as staff members from around the ELP. Working collaboratively in teams leads to higher-proficiency students mentoring and encouraging the beginner students while the beginner students gain confidence each time they accumulate points or complete a task.

The time-oriented activities are meant to encourage students to manage their time effectively and to work under pressure. In fact, many of the challenges involved working quickly and efficiently in English.

Each term brings new tasks, new champions, new prizes, and new excitement! You never know what to expect. Are you up for the ultimate language challenge?

The Challenges

In Knock Knock, pronunciation is the key! Students must read out names a number of times until they can tell what it sounds like and match it to the correct ending.

Example: “Juno” sounds like “Do you know…”

Can you figure out what “Justin” sounds like?

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Category Bingo is an activity that requires students to listen carefully to categories and match them to different vocabulary words on their BINGO cards.

The first team to correctly complete a row yells “BINGO” and wins!

Have you ever heard a catchy commercial that stayed in your head for hours? Buy This is an activity that gives students the opportunity to create their own commercial. The judges get to decide which one should be awarded the most points based on creativity and language use.

Broken Tongue Twister Telephone is the ultimate language challenge! Students must quickly pass tongue twisters down a line to their teammates to collect points. If they mix up the words or sounds, they must start from the beginning again.

Try this example: Slimy snakes slowly slither south sometimes.

How did you do?

“The EP CUP was a great opportunity to share with other students of English PLUS. I had a lot fun, because I enjoyed the different activities, met new people and learned new vocabulary . . . I believe that these kinds of activities help and challenge the students to keep developing their speaking and listening skills, always having fun. If you ask me, I really believe, the EP CUP is a great way to finish the course, have fun and still learn.”

— Constanza Reina of Colombia, English PLUS Intermediate/High Intermediate

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academics @elp

Are you a fan of movies? Then National Treasure is the task for you! Students watch and listen to movie clips that will help them decode maps and answer skill-testing questions. Those with an interest in history and those who like to explore will be put to the test in this challenge. Where can you find the president’s secret book? Is it even real?

academics

Practice Your Skills By: Carol Lam, Program Administrator, Administrative & Academic Support

Communication frequently involves conveying emotions. Whether you agree or disagree with a statement and how it makes you feel. Adjectives are expressive words used in a sentence to describe the subject matter, and to give it more meaning.

Students can often be overwhelmed by the number of uses an adjective has, especially when they have different endings, such as –ed or –ing. Changing the last few letters can completely change the meaning of your sentence.

Below are examples of correct adjective uses with their appropriate endings. Test your knowledge on adjective suffixes and take our practice quiz!

alarming, amazing, annoying, astonishing, boring, charming, confusing, convincing, depressing, disappointing, embarrassing, exciting, frightening, interesting, shocking, surprising, terrifying, tiring, welcoming, worrying EXAMPLES: He lives in a charming house just outside the town.

She always has a warm welcoming smile.

2. Many ‘-ed’ adjectives describe people’s feelings.

For example, ‘a frightened person’ is a person who finds something ‘frightening.’

Adjective Endings... -ed or -ing? Bored or Boring?

Examine the following sentences: 1. Doing math exercises makes me feel really frustrated.

alarmed, amused, astonished, bored, delighted, depressed, disappointed, excited, frightened, interested, satisfied, shocked, surprised, tired, troubled, worried EXAMPLES:

2. Math can be a very frustrating subject.

1. Many adjectives ending in ‘-ing’ describe the effect that something has on someone’s feelings.

You use many ‘-ing’ adjectives to describe the effect that something has on your feelings, or on the feelings of people in general. For example, if you talk about ‘a surprising number’, you mean that the number surprises you.

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She looks alarmed about something.

A bored student complained to his teacher.

Ready to put your skills to work? Now try the practice quiz.

Practice Quiz

Each of the situations below is followed by a sentence describing either a situation or how a person in that situation feels. Read the sentences, and create the correct adjective form by adding -ed or -ing to the words that follow each sentence.

EXAMPLE: I did not pass the test yesterday. I am really disappointed in myself. (disappoint) 1. I spilled water on my pants. This is an __________________________ situation. (embarrass) 2. John wants to learn how to use his new computer. He is very _____________________. (interest) 3. This unfriendly dog has big teeth. What a _____________________ animal! (frighten) 4. May never stops talking about herself. She is so ________________________. (annoy) 5. I don’t know why my wife is so mad at me. I’m really _______________________. (confuse) 6. After running for two hours, Jing needed to rest. Running can be very _______________. (tire) 7. He hit his brother after they had an argument. The family was ____________________. (shock) 8. Marisela is going to the party this weekend. She is really ________________ about it. (excite) 9. Trixie’s dog died yesterday, so she’s pretty _____________________ today. (depress) 10. Chris is having trouble passing his chemistry class. He finds chemistry to be a __________________ subject. (frustrate) Solutions: 1. embarrassing 2.interested 3. frightening 4. annoying 5. confused 6. tiring 7. shocked 8. excited 9. depressed 10. frustrating

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academics Disclaimer: Due to our diverse student population, we receive many opinion-based articles relating to global and current affairs. The views expressed in this magazine are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the English Language Program.

The English Language Program does not endorse, represent or warrant the quality of products or companies mentioned within.

The Role of Zoos By: Yusuke Maekawa of Japan, Academic English Level 60

I

t is said that 40,000 living creatures became extinct in one year. The number has been quickly increasing; only one species died out in one year approximately 100 years ago. There are several reasons which force animals into extinction such as indiscriminate hunting for food, leather or fur products, invasion by new species, and habitat destruction. These days, zoos have been considered conservation places for endangered animals. Although expectations of zoos are becoming higher, it is also true that there is strong opposition to this institution. According to the article “Critics Question Zoos’ Commitment to Conservation” by Laura Fravel, only a few zoos are committed to conservation; approximately 10% of them participate in conservation program in U.S.. Moreover, the number of animals actually returned to the wild is few. Despite these concerns, there are definite advantages for zoos to preserve threatened animals in three areas.

First of all, several endangered species have already been conserved in some zoos. According to the article, “Zoos Can Lead the Way with Ex Site Conservation”

by Dalia A. Conde, Nate Flesness, Fernando Colchero, Owen R. Jones and Alexander Scheuerlein, 15% of threatened animals have been protected in zoos even though some of them were already extinct in the wild. This means that zoos can play a major part in conservation, and there is nothing else to replace them. Fravel claimes that zoos’ conservation is not an eventual goal for endangered species, and actions should be taken to protect the species’ natural habitat.

However, history shows that economic activities leading to ecosystem destruction will not be stopped 38

right now. In fact, it might get worse. We need to take some actions to reduce the number of extinct animals as soon as possible; otherwise, humans might continue to devastate nature until nothing is left. It is clear that zoos must be the first step to conserve these endangered animals.

Another reason is that zoos can be an important educational place to teach visitors about conservation and life cycles of wild animals. It is unlikely that many people have time to go out into the wild to watch wild animals. However, we all might have been to zoos at least once, especially when we were children.

According to the article “Zoos Last Chance for Animals (LCA)”, a number of zoos work positively to provide education that allows individuals to understand how animals live, including hunting, feeding, raising the young, and playing. People could foster appreciation for living things through the experience, which may take conservation seriously. Zoos should make more effort to be places teaching about endangered animals.

In addition, we should understand what happens to these creatures, and should pay more attention to them as partners sharing the planet. LCA stresses that education is one of the most important ways to save living creatures.

Finally, zoos can provide an appropriate environment to breed animals. For example, they can offer specialized enclosures with familiar landscape by planting the same greens as in the wild and manage temperatures cold or warm, depending on the natural habitat. The Toronto Zoo even has a restriction of pesticide use when they place the plants in cages.

In addition, Carlisha Watkins in the article “Zoos vs Natural Habitats” argues that endangered animals should be captured to be protected from poaching and that zoos are suited for breeding. Moreover, zoos have a network called International Species Information System, which shares extensive information about zoo animals. For instance, it provides their basic information such as sex, age and family history, and accumulated breeding data, which can be useful. Zoos can take advantage of the information and simulated natural environment to protect the endangered species.

It is essential to deal with the issue of threatened animals as soon as possible. Zoos should be sanctuaries for them in terms of practical conservation activities, educational purposes and their specialized equipment and network; otherwise, more endangered animals will become extinct, and they will never return.

We are required to take action before that happens.

Haiti’s Brain Drain Jean Bertin St Louis of Haiti, Academic English Level 60

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t is right and just that people emigrate in order to have better living, studying and working conditions.

This, however, can lead to serious impacts on the country that sends people.

As part of the problem of immigration, “brain drain­—which is the phenomena whereby nations lose skilled labor because there are better paid jobs elsewhere” (1) —is actually one of the most complex issues in today’s world. Neither developed countries nor developing countries can escape the bleak situation related to this problem. However, many internal and external factors explain why developing countries from Africa, South America, and the Caribbean -particularly Haiti- are more exposed to this type of emigration than developed countries of North America (USA, Canada) or Europe (France).

Three main factors basically lead to brain drain in Haiti, and responsible citizen—after analyzing its negative effects—should propose various eventual solutions in order to tackle the problem.

In his article, Anup Shah -the editor of Global Issues website- has identified two main categories of causes for the global problem of brain drain -also known as human capital flight. The first category is related to push factors, or internal causes, while the second is directly linked to pull factors, or external causes (2). One of the internal causes of brain drain in Haiti is the lack of basic services. When the Haitian government loses control of the political machine, even the services that provide basic utilities such as water and electricity become almost totally dysfunctional. In addition, because of the shortage of facilities, including educational institutions, people are unable to plan their long-term future.

For example, opportunities for a good education in university in order to obtain a successful job later are quite uncertain. Another internal factor is that Haiti has faced many recurrent political and economic crises which contribute to the temptation for people to leave Haiti. Finally, among the various external or pull factors which entice many compatriots to leave this nation, the economic element is the most important. Having a wage which is proportional to their work done is what many hope for, but do not necessarily attain. Therefore, the opportunity to work abroad for better wages is enticing.

It is right and just that people emigrate in order to have better living, studying and working conditions.

This, however, can lead to serious impacts on the country that sends people. For example, when many skilled professional workers such as medical doctors, nurses, and educators leave Haiti, the country loses significant resources, or valuable brains.

Consequently, it is clear that even if Haiti were a rich country, it would become poor due to the loss of brain power. In fact, as a poor country, Haiti becomes even poorer. This increase in poverty can also explain why the rate of violence and delinquency has increased in Haiti, especially among young people.

Moreover, the level of morality has decreased: the young Haitians of the new generation tend not to care about what they say, and what they do in the name of freedom, personal benefit, and pure pleasure.

Brain drain is not a new problem (3). However, Haitian thinkers, researchers and writers seem not to be able to find an efficient method to approach and eradicate it. Among many proposed internal solutions, the following should be considered: reinforcement of basic infrastructure, decentralization of government offices and services, participation and involvement of the private sector in social progress and growth of the economy through creation of employment possibilities (4), and improvement of the quality of academic and professional education around the country, including continual training for instructors -as a major investment in children and young people (as the future of the country). On the one hand, the Haitian government and educators could actually rethink the education that people receive by instilling more eco-civic responsibility, starting with those who are beginning school. As a result, when these young learners become mature, they will become aware of the problems specific to Haiti by identifying them and thinking of strategies to overcome them. On the other hand, a frank and bilateral dialogue between those who are concerned about the issue in the government of Haiti as well in the government of the receiving countries is strongly recommended.

Both groups could make serious decisions in order to prevent the undesirable consequences of brain drain for the poorer country. In this particular case, the host country should show solidarity by helping and understanding Haiti with its unique and slower process of development and emancipation. This is different from providing any form of financial assistance to the country and can help significantly to reduce the enormous economic gap between developed nations- such as USA, Canada or Franceand developing countries like Haiti. Reducing this gap would mitigate both the push and the pull factors that lead to Haiti’s brain drain.

References: 1) Shah, Anup. “Brain Drain of Workers from Poor to Rich Countries.” Global Issues. 14 Apr. 2006. Retrieved February 23rd, 2015. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/599/ brain-drain-of-workers-from-poor-to-rich-countries>.

2) Cf. Idem.

3) Cf. http://etudescaribeennes.revues. org/4702?lang=en. Retrieved March 09th, 2015.

4) Cf. Report on the World Social Situation 2001, United Nations, January 2001, Chapter XX.

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academics

Croquis

An Architect’s Toronto By: Pooya Aledavood from Iran, Academic English Level 60 Pooya Aledavood is an architect from Iran who is pusuing graduate studies in architecture and design.

These drawing are called, croquis, which are learning exercises for architects. After understanding the architectural details, style or historical relevance of a particular building, the goal of croquis are to sketch them from a different perspective. To walk the city of Toronto, observe and record the architectural details of its buildings by sketching, one can appreciate Toronto’s rich architectural history.

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Brookfield Place 181 Bay St, Toronto

If you look through the south direction in the Toronto Brookfield Place, it is easy to see a big building with ionic columns. That is because of the fact that urban designers have decided to devise a plaza in that valuable land to save this classical looking urban façade.

The Gooderham Building 49 Wellington Street East, Toronto The Gooderham Building in the St. Lawrence neighborhood was designed by David Roberts, Jr. Interestingly, this was constructed 10 years before the famous Flatiron Building in the New York City and both buildings are famous because of their narrow wedge shape.

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academics

Why Toronto is the Best City to Live

By: Federico Merendi of Italy, Advanced Academic Skills

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ecently, many newspapers reported that Toronto is the best city to live in the world. According to a research conducted by The Economist, the Ontario capital is ranked first among 50 cities (see: safecities. economist.com). The research took into account six parameters in order to develop this index. Three of the six indicators are strictly related to the city itself (safety, livability and cost of living) while the others are based on the conditions of the whole country in regards to the business environment, democracy index, and global security. Even though Toronto does not reach the top position in any individual index, it ranks first when all the indicators are accounted and averaged.

The question is how can this research be reflected in everyday life? Walking down the street or riding the red rocket (TTC) at night is a routine that almost everybody experiences during their staying in Toronto. Students, especially, like enjoying the downtown and head home at every hour of the night, without being afraid to take a bus or walk.

Furthermore, people seem not to be worried about the environment around them. As an example, people enjoy riding the subway without checking their bags for possible thefts or when they are getting take-out food in a store, it is common to leave their belongings unattended.

Regarding the cost of living, Toronto can be expensive, especially in downtown. However, knowing the right places and discount offers that come up periodically, it is not as costly as many people claim.

Moreover, currently for international students, it is more affordable due to the lower interest rates and oil prices that have reduced the value of Canadian dollar.

The third indicator (livability) takes into account

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many factors that include the following factors: health, education, neighborhoods, and life satisfaction. In fact, Toronto is surrounded by prestigious institutions such as University of Toronto and York University and has one of the best medical centers. Moreover, Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city hall is active in keeping an enjoyable social environment. As an example, last year the city of Toronto implemented a renewal development process of the Regent Park area which was one of the most unsafe places in Toronto during the 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. A second example can be the project of extending the subway to Scarborough in order to involve more residents in the city social life.

In my personal experience, Toronto is a great city that offers many opportunities such as Canadian cultural events, volunteering, and multicultural experiences. Despite what is usually said, people here are actually open to engage in a conversation with strangers. Moreover, it is amazing how many different cultures live together in the city. There are people from almost every part of the world; and what is even more amazing is that all these different ethnicities try to keep part of their culture alive so it is possible to experience their traditions. In fact, I even ate in an Ethiopian restaurant! In this city I also found great friends with whom I have spent extraordinary moments from volunteering to tobogganing and from ice skating to playing pool.

In conclusion, Toronto is a special city where, even though every day is busy, it is always pleasant to live.

Nevertheless, I suggest to you to enjoy your time in this city because it will be one of your best moments to remember.

Social Networks

Designed by FreePik

By: Ali A. Ihbeel of Libya, Advanced Academic Skills

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n the last twenty years, the online world has developed dramatically, and with the aid of different technology like personal computers and smart phones, access to the internet for many different purposes - including entertainment, education, information retrieval, and communication - has become easier than it was before, which in turn brings many different social, economic and psychological changes to the society. Social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are allowing users to connect with many others, and browsing these social sites could make them feel connected to a larger community, which could increase their social engagement and involvement. Although social networks have without doubt contributed many positives to users’ lives, they also have brought about psychological problems.

Internet users who spend a large amount of time on social networks are more likely to suffer from depression and daily life stress. In 2008, Professor Robert Kraut led a team at Carnegie Mellon University to conduct a study in which they examined the psychological impact of social networks on 169 people in 73 households during their first one to two years on-line. They found that “people who use social networks more reported experiencing a greater number of daily life stressors in a subsequent period” (Kraut et. al., 2008, p 1027).

In the same study, they concluded that the greater

use of social networks was associated with an increase in depression, which, in turn, causes an increase in daily life stresses. Brian Jung (n. d.) reports that social networking sites encourage their clients to be less cautious of the details of their private lives. These details cannot be easily removed, thus remaining available indefinitely. While at one moment a photo of friends doing shots at a party may seem harmless, the image may appear less attractive in the context of an employer seeking a background check. Social networks have also been giving people a new platform to post hateful comments and even threats. Elizabeth Koikai (2013) states that on social networking sites people can post whatever they want without facing any serious consequences; much of this shared information is often untrue and rarely controlled by the social media sites, which can cause many users to gang up and attack one person (para.10). Jung (n. d.) also reports that “cyberbullying has spread widely among youth, with 42% reporting that they have been victims” (para. 3), and much research draw attention to the negative effect of cyberbullying on people including their happiness (Smith et. al., 2008, p.p 376–385).

It appears that no effective solutions have been proposed in order to overcome the negative aspects of social networks yet. In fact, an effective remedy to these issues should be based on both sides of the problem, the users and the service providers, with the assisting of the governments.

One recommendation is to increase the awareness of individual users, especially young generations, about the risks of spending so much time on social sites and to explain the possible consequences of being careless with posting private information on these sites. This strategy can take place in public places, educational institutions and even during social activities, with the aid of the governments and the social sites themselves. The governments, technology companies and experts together should adopt effective regulations to protect the private lives of social networks users, and legalize strict policies to punish those who abuse social networks.

Social networks have dramatically impacted the world both positively and negatively, and could become dangerous with regard to people’s emotions.

This is the case with all new technology, as it comes with merits and drawbacks. People have to benefit from the advantages and overcome the disadvantages, bearing in mind that social networks have been found to allow individuals to reach higher levels of satisfaction, which directly increase their well-being.

“While at one moment a photo of friends doing shots at a party may seem harmless, the image may appear less attractive in the context of an employer seeking a background check.”

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Beautiful But So Real

By: Maggie Liu, ICBC International Leadership Development Program

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lthough campus life is what I’m dreaming of all these years, I had never thought I could be student again after I got my master’s degree five years ago. Now as a member of ICBC International Leadership Development Program, I’m so excited that everything comes true, beautiful as a dream, but it’s so real.

When I first stepped on this land five months ago, the blue sky, beautiful maple leaves, cute squirrels and the nice people here made me fall in love with this city immediately. The ancient campus of University of Toronto tells its story like a patient wise man. We, as students, enjoy every class here, trying to absorb knowledge as sponge absorbing water.

With designed courses, I get an understanding of cross-culture communication, and see the difference between Canadian banking industry and capital market. With the SCS electives, I thoroughly enjoy the diversified culture and get a chance to hear the ideas from different countries.

Taking part in various activities is also my favorite thing. Here, I got my first chance to play street hockey, go tobogganing, enjoy the Jazz night, make apple pie, play Taboo with native speakers, and celebrate Chinese New Year in another country. These wonderful experiences make me joyful. Sometimes I even feel I come back to childhood.

Until now, half of the days have passed, but I feel there are still a lot of things waiting for us to explore.

Cherish the remaining days and do the best of myself, I’m looking forward to more splendid days in the following months.

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Going to a Hair Salon in Toronto By: Rina Imai of Japan, Academic English Level 50

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oing to a hair salon in Toronto was one of my wishes on the list that I wanted to do. When you go to the hair salon, you usually need to make an appointment on the phone or on the internet, don’t you? As a matter of fact, I have found some hair salons for Japanese people in Toronto; however, I chose a Canadian hair salon because of my English study!

At first, I hesitated to make a call for an appointment in English, and for that reason, I decided to make it on the internet. Then, I sent a message to the hair salon. However, I received an email from the hair salon that told me ‘We would love to book you for a hair appointment. Feel free to call us. Have a great day!’

When I saw this, I was slightly shocked, because I realised that I needed to talk in English on the phone to make an appointment. On the other hand, I also realised that it would be a great experience for me.

Since I really wanted to change my hair colour and have my hair trimmed, I made up my mind. I have called the hair salon which is located close to OISE. The woman who talked on the phone was thankfully really kind even though she listened to my poor English. The following week, I finally went there. The hair salon’s name is “Republic Of Hair”.

I got there at 9:50 AM because my appointment was 10:00AM. However, surprisingly I could not find any stylists at the hair salon. The door was totally closed.

That made me slightly feel anxious. Did I make my appointment in another branch? So, I called again in order to confirm my appointment, but what I could hear was just my calling sound from the vacant hair salon.

My anxiety was getting stronger bit by bit. Indeed, 5 minutes later, a stylist came to the hair salon. He arrived precisely 10:00AM. Then, finally he started colouring and hair cutting. He gave me great service and made my wish for my hair come true. While I was having hair cutting, we enjoyed English conversation. We talked about family, traveling, and multicultural society in Toronto. Furthermore, I also enjoyed drinking cafe latte which he served for me. The most impressive word that he told me was “I can totally understand what you are saying.” He was awesome!

What I have learnt through this experience is that trying to say what I want to say is important even though I have some difficulty in my English, and I don’t need unnecessary anxiety.

If you have any worries, don’t hesitate. Try to say something, and like me, you might discover that someone is there to understand you.

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academics

Airplane Battery Evolution

Designed by FreePik

By: Khanin Thongmongkol of Thailand, Academic English Level 60

S

ince Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the first aircraft and flew it for the first time in 1903, flying has been one of the most efficient forms of transportation because of its convenience, comfort and quickness. Today, 25,000 aircrafts, which are operated by 1,397 airlines and serving 3,864 airports around the world, are flying billions of passengers to their destinations throughout the world and consuming around 1.5 billion barrels annually (Facts and Figures, 2014) (1). These airplanes rely entirely on fossil fuel, which is not renewable, is causing global warming and is becoming more difficult to mine. Many institutes and companies have developed numerous ideas, including solar-powered aircraft, which will probably combat this problem of fuelconsumption of airplane. The mechanism of this solar powered approach is receiving energy from highenergy photons released from the sun, converting harvested energy to electricity to drive the engines during the daytime and storing it in batteries for the night flights. This solar-energy approach depends mostly on batteries when flying without sunlight. In their Solar Impulse project, Bertrand Piccard, André Borschberg et al (n.d) achieved the solar power goal for a personal jet that can transport two people, including the pilot (2). This aircraft, however, can only be a private jet, which is not an ultimate goal for developers. This developers’ ultimate intention is development of solar-powered commercial airplanes; as a result, in order to adapt this solar-powered 46

concept to commercial airplane, four major requirements for battery need to be attained: efficiency, weight, space usage, and durability.

According to Airbus publicizing on “Investigating future solutions” web page (3), solar energy is a highly promising renewable energy waiting to be used for aircraft, but the problems that limit the exploitation of such power are the means, by which energy is generated and stored. As a result, we have to improve battery qualities to use this sustainable energy effectively. In order to solve the energy storage problems, four major points for battery have to be addressed: productivity, mass, required area, and endurance. Because an airplane consumes an enormous amount of energy in each flight, we have to ensure that during the night, when there is insufficient sunlight to generate power, the airplane can fly relying entirely on energy stored in batteries. To rely on this source of energy, scientists must develop efficient batteries that can store energy effectively during the daytime and release it to the airplane at night. The battery weight is also important. In order to consume as little energy as possible, the airplane weight has to be as light as possible, which is the reason why we should invent the lightest batteries for this project. In addition to efficiency and weight, the use of space also plays a major role in these requirements. If the batteries occupy a vast area, the remaining space for passenger seats and luggage will be inadequate,

which can weaken the interest of commercial airlines in applying this concept to their planes. Finally, the durability of batteries must be improved, because no company would want to renew entire batteries frequently; as a result, developers have to invent batteries that last long to reduce the maintenance cost.

Scientists have been working very hard on developing reliable storing energy methods. There are three promising solutions for the future battery, which are nuclear fusion, anti-matter, and nuclear radiation battery. The first idea, which was proposed long time ago, but that we have not had sufficient knowledge to achieve, is nuclear fusion battery.

This approach duplicates the mechanism of the sun, nuclear fusion, which is combining hydrogen atoms and creates helium. The equation of this means shows that there is missing mass, which is the energy generated following the mass-energy theory of Albert Einstein. This method, however, requires extremely high pressure and temperature to combine hydrogen atoms together, which is nearly impossible to attain on earth with our current knowledge, so this proposal was dropped. The next idea is the antimatter battery. It derives from the idea that when a matter merges with its antimatter, a high amount of energy will be released, because the nature of matter is that it wants to have the least mass; as a result, it converts all of its mass to energy and becomes photons, which are massless particles. Nevertheless, with contemporary technology, a CERN physicist cites that we can harvest only one ten-billionth of invested energy (antimatter batteries!, 2009) (4), so our knowledge has to be more sophisticated than it is at present to employ this method in battery. The idea was dismissed. The latest and the most viable technique, based on current scientific knowledge, is nuclear radiation battery (Baek Hyun Kim and Jae W. Kwon, 2014) (5). Researchers explain the process in which radioisotope elements will emit beta radiation, which will break water molecules by assisting of a special fluid that scientists call “plasmon”, metallic nanoporous structures on Titanium- dioxide (TiO2).

The broken water molecules will release electrons,

which are electrical currents. They say that this battery is more efficient and longer-lasting than the conventional battery, since it produces electrons at the higher energy level, and there is no related acid, which is one of the main factors undermining batteries, respectively. In the foreseeable future, we will probably be able to witness this idea applied to commercial airplanes in test flights.

Because of our concerns toward the environment situation, scientists are trying their best to achieve the goal of relying on sustainable energy, especially from the sun. They have proposed many ideas and theories for harvesting and storing solar energy, three of which are outstanding: nuclear fusion, antimatter and nuclear radiation battery. Based on current scientific knowledge, the nuclear radiation approach is the most viable one. When this idea is suitably merged with the four requirements, which are proficiency, heaviness, occupied area, and endurance, we will have an opportunity to experience a solar-powered commercial airplane taking us to our destination without consuming fossil fuel during the flight.

References 1) Facts and Figures. (2014, April). Retrieved February 19, 2015 from www.atag.org 2) What is Solar Impulse? (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2015, from http://www.solarimpulse.com 3) Investigating future solutions. (n.d.).

Retrieved February 23, 2015 from http://www. airbus.com/innovation/future-by-airbus/ fuel-sources-of-tomorrow/solar-power/ 4) Antimatter batteries! (2009, March 25). Retrieved February 23, 2015 from Science Forums: http://www. scienceforums.net/topic/36511-antimatter-batteries/ 5) Baek Hyun Kim and Jae W. Kwon, 1. J. (2014, June 11). Plasmon-assisted radiolytic energy conversion in aqueous solutions. Nature .

Stereotypes

Wisal Tambosi of Saudi Arabia, Academic English Level 60

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ommon characteristics noticed by the general public about people from certain cultures or nations are called in our everyday use a “cultural stereotype”. However, we should be aware of the negative impact these stereotypes could cause.

It may be true that stereotypes have some truth in them, but most of the time, they create a false judgment when we apply them to our first impression about individuals from a specific culture, causing them emotional harm. For example, people from South-East Asia are believed to be smart.

This is not a negative stereotype; however, when it does not apply to a particular southeastern Asian it could cause him, or her, loss of confidence and

low self-esteem. Another negative impact is how cultural stereotypes sometimes create an inaccurate idea about a whole region such as the Middle-East.

For over a decade now, ever since the tragedy of September 11th, Middle-Eastern people are often feared by the public, making it difficult for them to socialize in their environment. If there is a stereotype to be created about stereotypes, it would be that they do not apply to, and do not represent, every person from a certain nation or culture; therefore, we should avoid pre-judgments and be aware of the consequences when treating other people based on those stereotypes.

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Hope for Mothers

By: María Valentina García Lara of Venezuela, Academic English level 60

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others are responsible for passing down half of their genes when babies are conceived, including the mitochondria, which powers our cells. These genes may have a mutation that can cause liver failure, muscle wasting, blindness and brain damage.

The genetic disease is incurable; however, the U.K. is developing a treatment called “mitochondrial donation or replacement.” It involves using the mitochondria from a healthy female donor to replace the mother’s; then, the mother’s egg is fertilized using in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and it is implanted in the mother, thus developing an embryo with three biological parents (“UK Becomes First Country to Approve ‘Three-Parent Babies’,” Carl Engelking, 2015). Some oppose this method of treatment because doctors lack sufficient data about possible consequences that could affect the baby. Others believe it could be the first step to create “designer babies.” However, they ignore the fact that several reasons exist to support three-parent in-vitro fertilization.

This treatment will prevent mothers from transferring an incurable genetic disease to their children.

According to Engelking’s article, around one in 6,500 babies in the world are born with this mitochondrial disease, and approximately 150 children in the U.K. alone are born with it every year (2015). The threeparent IVF will help those with genetic diseases because once the affected mitochondrial DNA from the mother is replaced with the female donor’s one, the baby cannot keep transmitting the disease. It will give women the guarantee they can have healthy biological babies. In the past, women were torn between adopting children or having them and watching them suffer. Now, affected women can have their own babies and know that they will survive to become adults and have a normal life.

The technique is safe and ethical. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) will be responsible for licensing U.K. clinics that want to offer mitochondrial replacement (“Statement on mitochondrial donation,” 2015). According to the HFEA, several experiments in animals since 1980 have proven with strong evidence that three-parent IVF is safe and highly efficient. In addition, the HFEA claim that the lack of evidence is an important factor for humans. Doctors should consider that there is a low risk of women transmitting the disease.

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Furthermore, no evidence was found that replacing the mitochondria will cause a malfunction in the DNA; if additional concerns exist, it would be viable to match the mother’s DNA with the donor’s. The Nuffield Council on Bioethics published a report on 2012 which established that the treatment was ethical because it would benefit the health of affected families. Regarding the mitochondrial donor, the report concluded that she has the right to be anonymous and does not need to have any contact with the child, although meetings can be arranged with the consent of both the parents and the donor. Viscount Riddley, from the House of Lords, claims that the treatment will not create “designer babies” in the future (Hannah Devlin, 2015).

The treatment can only be done to families affected by mitochondrial disease. Engelking reports that doctors from the National Health Service will do an extensive examination of families and check their medical records before considering the procedure.

Jeremy Farrar, director of Welcome Trust, says that affected families should have the opportunity to decide whether the treatment is the best option for them (“Britain’s House of Lords approves conception of three-person babies,” 2015). The HFEA states that it will evaluate the staff at each clinic and also provide the necessary equipment. A committee will be responsible for determining the risks of the embryo and which abnormality the baby may have. As a result, every application needs to have several medical examinations and doctors have to work on a case by case basis.

Three-parent IVF should be supported because it will give women the opportunity to have healthy babies.

It would also help society because the treatment can help to stop mitochondrial diseases from spreading.

Since it has never been used in humans, doctors know they need to be more careful when applying the technique. Moreover, several organizations in the U.K. approved it and they reassure us that the procedure will not result in the creation of “designer babies.” The treatment will only be applicable to affected families and it may be quite expensive, but families know they can try the three-parent IVF if they want to have their own children. Is it not better to support this technique that will help create healthy families?

Toronto, Memorable for Me! By: Hao (Howard) Zhang, ICBC International Leadership Development Program

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hen I walked out from Pearson International Airport, my first feeling was of freshness, neither tired nor excited. The bright blue sky just promised a wonderful experience ahead of me.

My company sponsored my colleagues and me to come here, and the School of Continuing Studies really designed a fantastic International Leadership Development Program for us. Most of the courses I attended are either business or communication related, and are full of juicy knowledge and practical skills to help me grow as a future leader. My classmates include not only young students but also professionals, with whom I can talk about the work environment here.

Some instructors also have many yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; working experience and great achievements. They shared their wisdom and vision with us, which inspired us a lot.

We also explored around Toronto by ourselves when we were not studying in school. For example, we took the cruise to see the magnificent Niagara Falls closely and felt the power of nature. The ROM and AGO are definitely attractive places to appreciate the human treasures and enjoy the time. The Zombie Walk and Santa Claus Parade are fascinating events that you should never miss when you stay in Toronto.

I also got a chance to visit the Toronto Stock Exchange, the heart of Bay Street, which is seen as the Wall Street of Canada. Since I work in the financial industry, it is a meaningful activity that helps me to better understand the financial market here. What impressed me most was one sunny day last fall that I cycled around Toronto Island and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. That peaceful time just refreshed me, and I guessed that kind of life is a Canadianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s typical life.

As spring is on its way, I am really looking forward to taking part in more events and making more friends here.

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academics

Civil War

By: Mustafa Sari of United Arab Emirates, Academic English Level 60

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he outbreak of the Arab Spring started in Tunisia in 2010, and spread throughout most of the Arab countries rapidly. In some countries, the protests of the civilians were peaceful, whereas in other countries, civilian demonstrations ended under violent conditions that resulted from governments protecting their authority in their countries. One of the most violent revolutionized demonstrations occurred in Syria (2011) and has been continuing since then. Although the protests started in peaceful conditions, the current Syrian government’s violent and vehement approach towards the protests has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people including children and women.

This tough and deadly policy against peaceful demonstrations has transformed to a civil war in Syria.

Three different aspects of this civil war need to be understood in order to analyze the Syrian Civil War: principal causes of the protests in both the short and long term basis, main effects of the Civil War on Syrian civilians, and the unsatisfactory solutions that have been implemented in an effort to stop the war.

In most Arab countries, before the Arab Spring, the forms of governments were either a constitutional monarchy or a superior monarchy in which the civilians’ freedom of speech was more likely to be restricted.

In recent years, the Arab societies have started to take Western countries as their role model in almost every aspect of their lives, including their form of governments: democracy, in most cases. When the Arab societies realized that they could express their own opinions and problems in a liberal environment, they wanted to apply this form in their countries where monarchy was the form of the government. Being very determined, Tunisians started demonstrations that eventually spread throughout the country in a very short period of time and these demonstrations were very effective, thus resulting in the resignation of the “monarchial” Tunisian president. These demonstrations were called Arab Spring after the same protests occurred in Libya and Egypt successfully. Being treated unfairly in their own country and seeing the success of these demonstrations in other countries, the Syrians started protesting against the government in 2011.

President Assad’s regime responded to these protests very violently, trying to quell the protests. This violent response from the government escalated the situation in Syria. As a consequence of this, different groups of protesters as well as rebellious groups were formed to fight against the government. That was when the protests led to a civil war in Syria.

As in every war, the Syrian Civil War has caused unfortunate consequences in three main fields: political, 50

social, and historic. First, Syria faced political hardship when the Arab Spring started to show its effects; however, this political hardship turned into a war when the government lost its control around the country.

Rebel groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda declared their independence in Syria; therefore, government forces had to deal with terrorist organizations as well as with armed civilian groups. Second, the civil war caused social devastation throughout the country, which triggered the migration of millions of innocent civilians into border countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Turkey as refugees. Currently, there are approximately more than four million Syrians who live as refugees in these border countries as well as all around the world (1). Third, the civil war caused a destruction of historic sites in the country. Syria was a well-known historic country that embraces the history of the greatest empires in the past centuries; however, the civil war between different factions in the country has caused tremendous destruction in Syria, leaving behind demolished structures in the country.

Although there is still crimes against humanity occurring in Syria, several leading countries have attempted to solve the issue in Syria; however, the world has not decided on any particular strategy to ease the situation in this country. In recent years, with the commitments of UN (United Nations) representatives, the Syrian regime and the legal opposition of Syria have had various meetings to end the war in Syria but once again, despite all the attempts, no effective solutions have been found.

Presidents of different countries including the US President Barrack Obama and the President of the Republic of Turkey, R. Tayyip Erdogan, have come to the conclusion that the resignation of the current regime in Syria will bring the civil war to an end (2). No matter what solutions are proposed, as we have been witnessed multiple times in history, as in Korea, and Libya, countries should unite once again to stop this ongoing humanitarian crime in Syria.

References 1) France24.com. 16 05 2013. <http://www.france24. com/en/20130516-obama-turkish-pm-erdogan-callassad-syria-resign/>.

2) MercyCorps.org. 27 02 2015. <https:// www.mercycorps.org/articles/ turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/ quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis>.

Surveillance Systems Mousa Alqarizi of Saudi Arabia, Academic English Level 60

O

ne essential element of nations’ development is security. It is commonly believed that it is the corner stone of each society to strengthen its stability.

Taking security precautions such as surveillance systems is one way in which authorities can foster their efforts to achieve that. However, putting this proposal into effect has encountered opposition from many civil liberties groups. They allege that these systems violate privacy. In fact, their arguments are irrational. Societies are already being monitored, and monitoring the public does not mean that it is going to be at the expense of our privacy. Installing more advanced systems will help governments decrease crime rates and improve emergency plans. Surveillance also has positively changed the way businesses manage their human resources.

It is a vital tool for authorities combating crimes.

Surveillance has created in people’s minds a feeling of being seen. In the past, before public and/or private institutions began using surveillance cameras, violating laws had been easy when compared to now.

For instance, before using closed-circuit television, a person could jump a fence and rob a house without being noticed. However, now the situation is different.

Thieves think many times before committing any crime because they know that the probability of catching them on cameras has increased. Therefore, we can say that surveillance has had a significant effect on our behaviors. In other words, as surveillance systems act as hidden monitors, criminals often change their minds and abandon the idea of violating the law.

More importantly, interactions with crimes have been increasingly improved. Outcomes of investigations, as an example, have become faster and more accurate.

Also, the success of arresting the actual offenders or at least minimizing lists of suspects can be attributed to CCTV systems. A report by Andrea Noble (2012)

shows that the crime rate dropped in many Chicagoan districts being surveilled through live security cameras.

This demonstrates that surveillance technology has in some measure helped governments in fighting crimes.

Another important role of surveillance is that it can be used as a tool when dealing with emergencies.

Establishing sophisticated systems around cities will help authorities respond quickly to incidents. Data such as live footage of streets can be promptly transmitted through the system to monitors who can analyze it and provide the official crews with the best possible actions. According to a report published by Somini Sengupta in 2013 in The New York Times, Michael O’Brien, a security officer at Port of Oakland, said that the city’s surveillance system will help law enforcement authorities respond quickly to urgent cases.

In addition to security and safety, the private sector has benefited from surveillance in terms of managing human resources. Employees’ productivity has increased since organizations began using cameras in workplaces. Workers are more likely to be responsible while carrying out their work when cameras are positioned above their heads. These cameras act as constant supervisors. As a result, conducting tasks tends to be in accordance with organizations’ rules.

Another advantage of monitoring workplaces is that it can help managers appropriately assess workers and determine who deserves a promotion or a raise in salary. In other words, it is a way in which fairness can be fostered. A survey ,titled “Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey” by the American Management Association in 2007, shows that 48 percent of 304 U.S. participating companies have used video cameras for many reasons one of which was managing employees’ performance.

In spite of allegations claiming that monitoring threatens our privacy, governments should proceed with their plans without any delay to insure both societies’ security and safety. Businesses should also insist on expanding the use of surveillance systems as modern managerial techniques. Because surveillance technology demonstrates day after day its effectiveness, critics are ultimately going to reconsider their points of view about it. Abandoning the idea of implementing surveillance projects is evil, and our privacy being prone to violation is evil too, so we have to choose the lesser of two evils.

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Canadian Retail Markets

CLOSED R

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Mousa Alqarizi of Saudi Arabia, Academic English Level 60

etailers’ closures in Canada has been on the news over the past three years. Zellers, a large consumer goods retailer, was the first firm that left the market in 2013, but the major exit was in 2014 when more than four prominent stores decided to close. In October, Jacob (women’s apparel retailer) announced it would close its 92 stores throughout Canada. After that, Smart Set, another seller of women’s clothing, shut down 107 locations in November. At the end of the year, the Dutch fashion company (Mexx) planned to liquidate its 95 stores located across the country. This year, investors are continuing to retreat. Target, an American discount department store, has planned to stop its operations in Canada where its 133 locations are being liquidating and will be closed within the next few months. Also, Sony Corporation, a Japanese company dealing in electronics industry, is shuttering its 14 stores in two months. Holt Renfrew has already closed its shops in Ottawa and Quebec City. The problem, in deed, is related to supply, the offered products and services. There are so many stores selling similar goods to a small population. 35 million Canadians do not need all these stores. In other words, there is an oversupply which typically leads to low earnings due to the low number of purchasers. As a result of this, these stores such as Target are forced to fade from the market. According to Wikipedia, there are nearly 26 department stores across Canada. This large number of retailers exceeds consumers’ needs.

Another contributory factor is that the market is highly competitive. Therefore, poorly planed companies were compelled to close. As a noticeable closure, Target was operating 133 branches in Canada without considering that its competitors (Walmart, Canada Tire and other retailers) launched their online shopping websites a few years ago as a competitive advantage. This 52

indicates that the managers leading Target did not pay attention to this matter. They, instead, focused on opening more branches within 2 years. That is a quite poor decision compared with Walmart’s expansion strategy (114 branches throughout the past 20 years).

In fact, the problem with Target was about what and how to serve. There was always shortage of products.

Its shelves were nearly empty as many shoppers reported. In addition to unsufficient amounts of goods, the company’s online services were ineffective.

Apparently, all companies that left the Canadian market failed in terms of applying competitive advantages, a strategy through which an organization can perform better than its rivals.

Although the unemployment rate (6.8% as revealed

by Statistics Canada in February 2015) may not change due to layoffs triggering from business closures, the workforce stability has recently become precarious.

This can be clarified also by the example of Target.

According to a report posted by CBCNEWS in Jan, 2015 on its website, 17,600 employees have lost their jobs because the company decided to close. The good news is that these workers can be hired by other employers, but the problem is that most of them have to move to other cities in the hope of increasing their job opportunities. In other words, they will suffer from leaving their homes. As a consequence, their productivity will be negatively affected. Moreover, these sequential closures have impacted the Canadian retail market’s reputation. There have been 8 departures from the market up until now as reported

by The Financial Post this month (January, 2015).

This exit has given a negative impression to potential investors, so they may reconsider investing in Canada and may start to look to other markets. That means Canada will miss important opportunities.

To properly solve the oversupply problem in the retail sector, the monetary policy should be changed, particularly the banking system. Canadian banks, fortunately, have not been affected by the latest recession, which occurred in 2007-2008.

They continued to give business loans, leading new international investors to enter the Canadian market, and because of that, the oversupply occurred.

Therefore, it is time at least to raise the interest rate of business loans. By implementing this, liquidity will not be available to firms intending to increase the number of its products. In other words, it will be difficult for companies to enter and exit the market easily, which means that the market will become more stable. Another important action can be taken by the Retail Council of Canada to enhance the stability of the market. Studying these closures and then providing existing retailers with the findings can help investors avoid mistakes that were made by companies that left the market. For the sake of the Canadian economy, it is time to stop this phenomenon.

Choosing a Major University Wisal Tambosi of Saudi Arabia, Academic English Level 60

fter finishing high school, many students face a dilemma of which discipline they should major in.

Their choice could be influenced by both internal and external factors. Following these influences, students might eventually choose a major in which they have no true interests, and this will result in regretting their choices, blaming the external causes, or accepting their path indifferently. Since choosing a major at the university is can be one of the most important decisions in life, a solution to this dilemma must be considered.

One internal factor that could affect the student’s choice is the cluelessness caused by their lack of interest in any field. Many students have no idea what they are interested in, allowing themselves to take the risk of choosing random majors based on the reputation of these majors or the influence of their peers. The reason for this cluelessness is probably that students had no chance opportunity to discover their interests prior to this stage of their lives, perhaps due to the overprotection of their parents, or the traditional education systems in their previous schools. Making this decision, for them, will be but another adventure, not realizing that the rest of their lives depends on it.

The business market is one of the external factors that could influence the students’ choice of major. In many countries, there are often certain career options on which the labor market usually relies. Because of this, multiple fields of engineering as a major, for example, are very common, whereas art majors are less common. It is not unusual for students to think of a guaranteed future career when they choose their major at the university, and conforming to the labor market requirements could provide these careers, making it a strong influence on the students’ choice.

Another external factor is the cultural norms of certain majors. In many cultures, students who major in scientific fields are often looked upon as successful people with a bright future, and in these cultures, that is all that matters despite the students’ desires and interests. Young people do not realize that the cultural norms have an impact on their choices; however, when many students from the same culture tend to choose the same major, the culture is definitely the main influence.

Not only cultural norms, but also the parental pressures and expectations can play a part in the students’ choice. Most of us have certainly seen an example of parents deciding which major their teenage child should choose. The parents’ motivation is usually that they foresee a better future for their child in certain fields regardless of his or her wishes, or that they want to fulfill their unfulfilled desires through their child’s life. For instance, a father wishes for his son to major in a medical field, because he himself missed the opportunity to become a doctor back in his time, and of course, it is a good, well-paid job.

Choosing their major at the university based on

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these factors, students could face difficulties in achieving a goal that they have never desired. When hardships increase and the realization of this mistake dawns, students might reach a point of regret in which they wish they had discovered their true passion earlier. As a consequence of this, they might also start blaming the external causes that led to this choice, and in rare situations, they might leave school. In a different scenario, some would surrender to their fate, accept their choice and move on with their lives, abandoning their ambitions.

The dilemma of choosing a major is a problem which every student can relate to. In many countries, universities have addressed this problem by establishing a bridge year as the first year at the university, during which students can obtain the chance to explore the nature of different majors and decide which one they are interested in. According to Liz Freedman (2013) in her article “ The Developmental Disconnect in Choosing a Major: Why Institutions Should Prohibit Choice until Second Year” , the decision of choosing a major must be postponed until the second year of the university. Instead, the first year needs to be a “structured course” in which students can receive assistance and guidance from faculty advisors regarding their choices of major. This solution has already been implemented in many universities around the world; however, only one year may not be enough for a student to discover his or her real interests, and this would take us back to where the issue started.

To resolve this issue, students’ interests must be explored and discovered in early ages through middle and high school years. These interests need to reflect the students’ personalities and lead them to choose a major in which they can excel. Therefore, education systems need to develop a curriculum that provides more activities in multiple fields for students to engage in, such as activity clubs, volunteering, and field trips. If students are given the chance to explore at an early age, they will discover their true passion, and consequently, choose a major that reflects their personalities and guarantees them a regret-filled future.

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The First Modern Woman Tatiane Morgana da Silva of Brazil, Former Academic English Student, Current University Of Toronto undergraduate

M

aria Sklodowska, better known as Marie Curie, was a fantastic woman who made a significant difference in the history of science in the last century.

She was born on the 7th of November 1867, in Warsaw, Poland. Marie’s parents were both teachers, and Marie’s father had an active role in her education—he constantly stimulated her critical thoughts.

After finishing school, Marie left her home to work as a governess in a Polish family. During this period, Maria exchanged letters with her father discussing math and physics problems. With her income as a governess, Sklodowska helped her sister, Bronya, to become a doctor in Paris, France, asking Bronya to return the favour after she had completed her studies. In 1918, once her sister graduated, Maria moved to Paris to start her studies at Sorbonne University. In Paris, Marie lived alone in a cold apartment close to Sorbonne, and she basically survived having water and bread due her financial conditions. In 1894, Marie graduated in Physics and Math with excellent grades.

However, in 1894, before finishing her studies, Marie met Pierre Curie, her future husband. Pierre was a professor at School of Physics, and fell in love with Marie at first sight. Despite her resistance in the beginning, Marie and Pierre had their first date—it was in Marie’s apartment, Pierre took a bottle of wine to drink and an article to discuss. However, having completed her studies in Paris, Maria went back to her country. Sklodowska loved her country; she was proud to be Polish. Her love for Pierre did not make her give up returning to Poland or teaching her people.

Only after Pierre’s persistence and insistence did Marie decide to go back to Paris and marry Pierre (1895).

Beside Pierre, Marie started her most important research. Marie and Pierre worked in same laboratory, and they helped each other. The Curies made significant discoveries about what Marie named radioactivity, which was described for the first time by Becquerel. In addition, Marie discovered two chemical elements: polonium and radium (1898), the first named in tribute to Poland. As a result, in 1903, the Curies

were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for their research on radiation. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

The unique fact that decreased Marie’s addiction to research a little was the birth of her two children (Irène and Eve). After the birth of the second child, Marie decided to spend more time at home bringing up her daughters. Pierre, however, did not accept this change, and one day, after arguing with Marie about her diminished time at the laboratory, Pierre went to work and did not come back home. On that day in 1906, Pierre was run over by a cart; he died.

Marie continued the research without Pierre, and she replaced her husband as professor at Sorbonne— Marie was the first female professor in this university.

After 5 years, in 1911, Marie won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry—the first scientist to win two Nobel Prizes.

However, Marie did not only stay at laboratory with her discoveries, but also she used her discoveries as a tool to help people during the first World War. In other words, Marie used a portable X-ray machine to help the medical diagnoses in the first line of the battle.

After years of exposure to radiation, Marie Curie developed leukemia, and she died on July 4th, 1934.

Marie’s history became an example for a large number of women, and it showed to the modern world that the female gender had the same capacity as its male counterpart. Consequently, after Marie Curie, other women became professors at universities and won Nobel Prizes, for example Marie’s daughter, Irène, in 1935.

References: Quinn S. Marie Curie: A Life. 1995. New York, Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-67542-7.

Marie Curie. [Internet]. 2015. The Biography.com website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/ people/marie-curie-9263538 [Accessed 12 Mar 2015].

Poems

By: Nathalia Cristina de Melo Correa da Silva of Brazil, Former Academic English Student, Current Civil Engineering student, University Of Toronto

@Love

@My_love

Love runs the world The world runs the internet Could we combine internet and love?

Why not?

Close your eyes Make a wish Press “enter”

I never believed But I found love (in a hopeless place) I never believed But I fell in love (in an incredible way) I never believed But what starts online can be real (in real life) I never believed But he proposed to me this last week (WOW!) I never believed But now I believe

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Smog in China By: Ying Chen of China, Academic English Level 60

T

he word “smog”, which originated in the early 20th century when England was in the period of rapid growth of industrialization, is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “fog or haze intensified by smoke or other atmospheric pollutants” (1). At that time, coal, which contributed to a large emission of carbon and formed the smog, was the primary resource to provide the energy for industrial development. In 1952, London suffered a serious “Great Smog” event that caused over 12,000 people to die in several months, even though the government had spent half the century fighting against the smog (2).

Since 2008, half a century after that serious event, a similar smoggy disaster has been occurring again in China, which is the most rapidly growing industrial country in the 21st century. Because rapid industrialization mainly depends on coal, it accounts for over half of the consumption of coal in the world every year; in addition, the enormous rise in car ownership also leads to a massive increase in emissions. As a result, over 104 cities in China have been encountering “crazy bad” (3) air pollution, and over 800 million residents have been living with “hazardous” smog (4), which caused the number of patients infected by respiratory diseases to increase over 30 percent in 2013 (5). In other words, China is confronting an air pollution crisis, which will probably damage the health of over 1.5 billion of the population and affect the entire economy of this industrial country.

The air pollution issue in China has now become one of the primary global concerns. The US embassy in Beijing started monitoring and tweeting hourly air conditions for the US expatriate community in 2008 (6).The Chinese government now also tweets and reports the daily Air Quality Index to warn the public

in order to prevent harm from the contaminated air.

Moreover, the Chinese government has tried various approaches to address air pollution, such as limiting the quantity of cars and restricting the construction of energy-intensive industries near residence area.

Nevertheless, these solutions are scarcely effective.

Based on the origin of the smog, we should tackle the issue from two aspects. The first is to increase the green space in cities, which can, to a certain extent, regenerate the ecological system of cities. In many cases, due to large-scale urban constructions, most ecological systems, such as forests and water, have been damaged, being replaced by concrete buildings. However, the majority of pollutants might not be eliminated naturally like before. Therefore, expanding green space in cities seems to be a feasible plan to reduce air pollution. The second is to use an environmental friendly fuel instead of coal fuel, which is a long-term solution that can completely solve the air pollution from its roots. For example, diverse energies, like solar energy and electrical energy, can be used as the fuel for vehicles and by various industries, which will entirely prevent the emission of carbon.

During Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, “11.7 million vehicles in Beijing were kept off the roads, 10,000 factories in the region surrounding Beijing were shut” just for the “temporary smog-disappearance act” and “APEC blue sky” (7) advocated by the government. In the current situation, how to balance the development of economy and protect the environment is the most significant problem for the government. If one day our descendants could only see blue sky and breathe fresh air in museums, material wealth would be meaningless for them, because the most precious treasures have gone.

References 1) http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/ american_english/smog?searchDictCode=all 2) http://international.caixin.com/2013-1209/100615242.html 3) On Scale of 0 to 500, Beijing’s Air Quality Tops ‘Crazy Bad’ at 755, By EDWARD WONG(2013) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/science/earth/ beijing-air-pollution-off-the-charts.html?_r=0 4) http://news.qq.com/a/20131209/000716.htm 5) http://international.caixin.com/2013-1209/100615242.html 6) Plotting China’s Air Quality: The Good, The Bad, The Un-Breathable, by Kate Rosow Chrisman(2014) http://theenergycollective. com/jared-anderson/369426/ plotting-china-s-air-quality-good-bad-un-breathable 7) How Did Beijing Achieve “APEC Blue”? by Christina Larson(2014) http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-18/ beijings-blue-sky-act-for-apec 55

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